Contemporary pop singers have been bitten by the retro-soul bug of late. Blame Amy Winehouse if you like. The latest entry is Seal, whose "Soul" album dusts off a dozen R&B standards from the '60s and '70s. Produced lavishly by David Foster, "Soul" is too mannered; it comes up short on crucial ingredient: soul. Nearly all of the songs — "A Change is Gonna Come," "It’s a Man’s World," "Knock on Wood," "Stand by Me" etc. — were major hits or hallmarks. Some of the charm in a covers record comes from reviving obscure nuggets — there are none on "Soul." In most cases, Seal hews closely to the original interpretations, treading perilously close to karaoke. (On "Can’t Stand the Rain" his high notes conjure up Huey Lewis; um, not good). The best song here is "Free," a No. 25 hit for Deniece Williams in 1976. Seal gives the tune a sultry, restrained reading, but more than anything the song works because Seal simply cannot mimic Deniece Williams. (Warner Bros.) **
—Eric Snider
This article appears in Dec 3-9, 2008.