Seal celebrates change with album of "Soul" covers

NEW YORK (Billboard) - A "collective consciousness" that led to the election of Barack Obama is what inspired Seal to record his latest single, a cover of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come," and the other R&B covers on the British singer's new "Soul" album.

"The initial inspiration came from what I perceived to be a collective consciousness of people," Seal told Billboard, "not only in America but around the world, saying, 'Look, the whole place is in turmoil, the economy's in the toilet, people are reckless, frustrated and irresponsible.' And I think the collective got together realizing there's something that needed to change."

Seal recorded "A Change Is Gonna Come" with producer David Foster and then filmed a video for the song "that we were just going to put out on the Internet so people would feel as if they weren't alone in their quest for answers and relief. And then David saw the video and said, 'Look, this is incredible. We can't stop here. You just have to keep going,' and so we did. Three weeks later, we had an album."

"Soul" features another civil rights anthem, the Impressions' "People Get Ready," as well as other favorites by James Brown, Otis Redding and Al Green.

"It was a case of not trying to reinvent the wheel, as that wasn't necessary," Seal said, "but instead trying to pick the songs that David and I collectively felt best showcased his arrangement skills, his musicianship and my voice."

Seal said he plans to tour in support of "Soul," most likely in 2009. "I don't see why these songs can't co-exist with my existing stuff," he said. "We'll just move some things around and make them really fit seamlessly."

Reuters/Billboard