- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
-
BlenderSeal remains one of the best half-dozen male pop singers drawing breath. [Sep 2003, p.129]
-
While that heal-the-world sentiment soon becomes repetitive and rarely approaches the poetic heights of past classics, that gorgeously granulated voice is never less than sublime.
-
Seal never goes all out in any direction and this coolness, combined with Trevor Horns perfectionist production, plants the album inescapably in the realm of adult contemporary (although this is as good as adult contemporary gets).
-
Despite being heavy with unexceptional tunes, Seal IV has enough going for it to warrant the next four years of anticipation.
-
Horn's work is so effective that it takes several listens before you notice how often Seal's songwriting depends on it.
-
Seal IV is actually much better than one would expect from an artist whose last decent album is now nine years old. At the same time, something about it is off; for the first time, Seal is not merely outside his time (good), but behind it (bad).
-
Seal IV... finds him retreading old ground and misguidedly attempting to claim new territory.
-
Entertainment WeeklyMuch of Seal sounds dated and tepid. [12 Sep 2003, p.152]
-
His crisp voice has dulled, and his inspiration has gone with it.
-
UncutEven the proficient production of Trevor Horn can do nothing to perk things up. [Nov 2003, p.114]
-
Q MagazineMost of it already sounds a decade old. [Dec 2003, p.137]
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
-
Positive: 16 out of 18
-
Mixed: 2 out of 18
-
Negative: 0 out of 18
-
KatrinaMNov 10, 2005
-
SroopAug 12, 2005He is beyond music of this age.
-
SeanLFeb 1, 2004His first three were made with love. Seal IV was kicked forward with an urgency for money. The poet is lost (somewhere)...