Thanks to Rich and Jason for recommending and providing the links to Seal IV. Listening to it now and am enjoying it immensely! I'd like to echo their suggestion. If you get a chance, do yourself a favor and check out:

and launch the SealPlayer :-) I'd also recommend watching the EPK if you can - it helps put everything into context.

He certainly uses his fair share of electronics, yet the end result feels (to my ears, anyway) more "complete" than "Sacred Love". If there's anyone who's already listened to both, I'd be interested to know if you feel the same. That's not to say that I'm comparing the songwriting style - I fully realize that Sting's lyrics and melodies is not what Seal does and vice versa; I'm talking about the overall production and execution of the arrangements. Seal's latest work seems better realized.

Thanks again for the tip - I'll be picking up this CD at the first opportunity! Might have to go back and pick up "Human Being" as well.

I've been listening to "Sacred Love" a lot and am finding that my opinion of it is dwindling from the review I wrote a little while ago (the first time that's ever happened). I can't really listen to it straight through without losing interest. I listened to the BBC Radio 2 concert this weekend and burned it to CD so that I could listen to it more closely. I realize that the gig wasn't as rehearsed as Sting would have liked, but as Daryl Jones mentioned in the "Bring On The Night" documentary, nervous energy can be a good thing. I was hoping that the new songs would grow in the live setting. Out of what was broadcast, only two songs really seemed to stand out. "Walking On The Moon" was a radically different jazz rendition (and a killer opener). "Never Coming Home" sounded phenomenal with real drums (go Vinnie!), Jason played his solo using an electric piano sound effect, and Sting rocked the hell out of the bass - proving that he hasn't completely forgotten how to play it ;-). As Jeremy mentioned, Sting played the guitar pattern from "Bring On The Night" over the intro verses and the band more or less played "When The World Is Running Down" during the solo. So it's a new feature in the setlist...but not really. Sting's playing in particular was inspired (it was great to hear him forming a rhythm section with Vinnie again), but at the end of the day, it wasn't anything really new. Even "Sacred Love", which was my favorite track on the studio album (because it felt like it had the most work put into its arrangement) wasn't anything special on stage.

Yes, it was an early show by a new band. Yes, it was under-rehearsed. Yes, things tend to improve as the tour goes on. But in my humble opinion, they've got a long way to go.

I'm still looking forward to the DVD, as it seems like it captured the songs at an earlier stage in their development. Hopefully that means a more organic collection of songs as opposed to the drum machine/synth-dominated studio silliness that is Sting's latest release.

I certainly don't mean this message as inflamatory - just wanted to share my honest opinion and am open to fair discussion :-)