Seal Is Still Feeling the Love on '7'

Chuck Arnold

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(photo: Samir Hussein/Redferns)

If you thought going through a high-profile breakup was going to make Seal down on love, think again. On 7 – his first album of original material since splitting with supermodel wife Heidi Klum in 2012 – the “Kiss From a Rose” singer remains very passionate about the subject. From the romantic first single “Every Time I’m With You” to the tender closer “Love,” the man still sounds like a true believer in the L-word.

“My faith in love is stronger than it’s ever been,” says Seal. “I believe that it’s at the very core of who we are, and it’s an essential part of who we are. It’s unpredictable – one minute you’re on top of the world, the next minute you’re down in the dumps – but it’s always dynamic. I find that whenever I’m progressing or evolving, it’s generally because I’m coming from a place of love.”

Though it’s been covered ad infinitum, the theme of love provided no shortage of inspiration for 7 (which is actually Seal’s ninth studio effort). “It’s been sung about so many times, but never really gets old,” he says. “I tried to capture it in a unique way.” But Seal insists that breakup songs like “The Big Love Has Died” and “Half a Heart” are not necessarily what they seem. “The songs on the album are open to interpretation,” he says. “People will read into them whatever they will read. But it’s not about any one particular event in my life, and it’s not necessarily autobiographical. It’s also inspired by experiences that I’ve seen people who are close to me go through.”

Having not released a collection of original material since 2010’s Seal 6: Commitment, the British crooner had a flood of tunes pouring out of him for 7. “I started from this pool of about 50 to 55 songs, which was quite a lot, and we whittled the album down to 11,” he says. “I feel it’s the most consistent record that we’ve ever made, simply because we had a lot more songs to choose from.” The “we” Seal is referring to includes his longtime producer Trevor Horn, who helmed five of his previous LPs going back to his 1991 self-titled debut, but hadn’t worked on an album of his original material since 2003’s Seal IV.

That special chemistry was still there on 7, with Horn providing the lush backdrops for Seal’s soulful vocals. “We genuinely love each other,” says the four-time Grammy-winner of their bond. “He’s a family member to me. We actually spent a lot of time talking about other things than music when making the record. We talked about life in general. There’s an incredible amount of trust and unspoken communication that exists between us, and I think you need these things when you are endeavoring to make something special.”

With the 25th anniversary of his debut coming up in 2016, what does Seal think is the secret to his longevity? “I don’t really think it’s rocket science,” he says. “I’ve always done this to write music from my heart. I make albums when I feel I have something to say, when something’s worth sharing. From an artistic aspect, the song is the most important thing for me. I always try to write a good song first. And I think that songs last forever.”