Still crazy for Seal (From Bournemouth Echo)

Still crazy for Seal

2:42pm Wednesday 1st July 2009

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Seal, Windsor Hall, BIC, Bournemouth

Before we had a chance to listen to that distinctive husky voice, the Windsor Hall crowd was treated to a charming set from the charming Jon Allen, with such melodic tunes as the pretty Standing in Your Light and rather amusing (complete with story) Dead Man’s Suit.

But we were there to see Seal, and his arrival was greeted with feeling. Opener Human Beings was perhaps not the best choice, the crowd waiting until the dramatic Killer to really get going.

Third song It’s a Man’s World was well-belted, but it highlighted what was wrong with this gig for me – his old, powerful hits and his new focus on crooner covers simply don’t gel.

Yes, his voice suits his new (old) style well, but the choice of songs, coupled with his formal three-piece, felt like it would be more suited to a nice intimate gig at 1812 – they don’t rub up well against the originality and verve of his best-known stuff.

Nevertheless, when he did revert to type, with crackers like Prayer for the Dying and Kiss From a Rose, the energy in the room was palpable.

Neither a great dancer nor speaker, he did manage to make a touching connection with 10-year-old Maya at the front, even getting some laughs for his Michael Jackson comments. Crazy was undoubtedly the song of the night, which perhaps should have been saved for the encore, where Bring It On and People Get Ready didn’t quite provide the dynamism this guy is definitely capable of.

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