Skip to content Skip to footer

From The ‘Favorite Albums’ List: Seal’s 1998 “Human Beings”

Seal is an English singer/songwriter who emerged from the U.K. house music scene in 1990 to become the most popular British soul vocalist of that decade. Although his earliest material still showed signs of acid house, by the mid-90s he was known for a distinctive fusion of soul, folk, pop, dance, and rock that brought him success on both sides of the Atlantic. Early on, Seal enjoyed a very high level of success — he got an Ivor Novello Award for writing his first single, and he won three Grammy Awards only a few years later. Known for hit singles like “Crazy” and “Kiss from a Rose,” his albums have consistently earned multiple gold and platinum certifications in different countries. This trend continued well into the 21st century with albums like 2008’s Soul and 2015’s 7. Seal topped the jazz albums chart in 2017 with a collection of pop standards recorded at Los Angeles’ legendary Capitol Studios. In 2024, a reissue project commemorated the 30th anniversary of his multi-platinum sophomore album Seal.