Seal (1994 album)

"Seal II" redirects here. For the 1921 Supermarine aircraft, see Supermarine Seal II.

Seal (sometimes referred to as Seal II to avoid confusion with the 1991 album of the same name) is the second eponymous studio album by British singer Seal. The album was released in 1994 on ZTT and Sire Records and features the worldwide smash hit single "Kiss from a Rose".

Seal
Studio album by Seal
Released	23 May 1994[1]
Recorded	1993–1994
Studio	Sarm West (London)
Genre	Progressive soul[2] pop dance[3]
Length	50:29
Label	Zang Tumb Tuum Sire (US)
Producer	Trevor Horn
Seal chronology
Seal (1991) Seal (1994) Human Being (1998)
Singles from Seal
"Prayer for the Dying" Released: 9 May 1994[4] "Kiss from a Rose" Released: 11 July 1994[5] "Newborn Friend" Released: 24 October 1994 "I'm Alive" Released: 1995 "Don't Cry" Released: 27 November 1995

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[6]
Christgau's Consumer Guide	[7]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[8]
Entertainment Weekly	A[3]
Knoxville News Sentinel	[9]
Los Angeles Times	[10]
NME	4/10[11]
Rolling Stone	[12]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[13]
Smash Hits	2/5[14]

The image on the cover has since become nearly synonymous with Seal, in that it has appeared on several singles covers and was reused for his greatest hits album.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Bring It On"	Chris Bruce Lisa Coleman Wendy Melvoin Carmen Rizzo Augustus Isidore Seal	3:58
2.	"Prayer for the Dying"	Isidore Seal	5:30
3.	"Dreaming in Metaphors"	Isidore Seal	5:52
4.	"Don't Cry"	Seal	6:17
5.	"Fast Changes"	Isidore Seal	5:42
6.	"Kiss from a Rose"	Seal	4:47
7.	"People Asking Why"	Seal	4:45
8.	"Newborn Friend"	Seal	4:05
9.	"If I Could" (duet with Joni Mitchell)	Seal	4:16
10.	"I'm Alive"	Coleman Melvoin Rizzo Isidore Seal	4:02
11.	"Bring It On (Reprise)"	Bruce Coleman Melvoin Rizzo Isidore Seal	1:15

30th anniversary deluxe edition CD2

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Bring It On" (Alternate Version)		5:35
2.	"Reality"	Seal	4:34
3.	"Prayer for the Dying" (Alternate Version)		5:31
4.	"Kiss from a Rose" (Alternate Version)		5:11
5.	"Fast Changes" (Alternate Version)		5:42
6.	"Newborn Friend" (Alternate Version)		3:59
7.	"I'm Alive" (Alternate Version)		4:10
8.	"Don't Cry" (Alternate Version)		6:22
9.	"People Asking Why" (Alternate Version)		5:21
10.	"Dreaming in Metaphors" (Alternate Version)		5:04
11.	"If I Could" (Alternate Version)		3:52
12.	"Love Is Powerful"	Seal	3:04
13.	"Manic Depression" (featuring Jeff Beck)	Jimi Hendrix	5:13
14.	"Blues in 'E'"	Seal	3:43
15.	"The Wind Cries Mary"	Hendrix	3:54
16.	"Fly Like an Eagle"	Steve Miller	4:15

Personnel

• Seal – vocals
• Gus Isidore, Jamie Muhoberac, Lisa Coleman, Wendy Melvoin – principal musicians
• Joseph "Amp" Fiddler, Andy Duncan, Andy Newmark, Anne Dudley, Anthony Pleeth, Barry Wilde, Ben Cruft, Betsy Cook, Bill Benham, Bob Smissen, Boguslaw Kostecki, Carmen Rizzo, Charley Drayton, Chris Bruce, Chris Laurence, D'Influence, David Oladunni, David Theodore, Derek Watkins, Dick Morgan, Eddie Roberts, Garfield Jackson, Gavyn Wright, George Robertson, Gota Yashiki, Harvey Mason, Helen Liebmann, Ian Thomas, Jackie Shave, Jeff Beck, Jim McLeod, John Pigneguy, Jonathan Evans-Jones, Judd Proctor, Katie Wilkinson, Laurence Cottle, Luís Jardim, Maciej Rakowski, Mark Berrow, Mark Mann, Martin Loveday, Mike Brittain, Mike De Saulles, Nick Busch, Pandit Dinesh, Patrick Kiernan, Paul Kegg, Perry Montague-Mason, Peter Oxer, Phil Spalding, Pino Palladino, Richard Cottle, Rita Manning, Roger Garland, Roger Smith, Sam Maitland, Sarah Webb, Seal, Tim Weidner, Tony Stanton, Trevor Horn, Wilfred Gibson, William Orbit – musicians
• Anne Dudley, Wil Malone – string arrangements
• Eric Caudieux – programming
• Graeme Perkins – orchestration
• Nick Knight – cover photography

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for Seal II Chart (1994–96) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[15] 2 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[16] 8 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[17] 3 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[18] 3 European Albums (European Top 100 Albums)[19] 6 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[20] 25 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[21] 4 Scottish Albums (OCC)[22] 19 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[23] 33 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[24] 15 UK Albums (OCC)[25] 1 US Billboard 200[26] 15 Chart (2024) Peak position Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ)[27] 25

Year-end charts 1994 year-end chart performance for Seal II Chart (1994) Rank Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[28] 82 European Albums (European Top 100 Albums)[19] 56 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[29] 97 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[30] 30 UK Albums (OCC)[31] 37 US Billboard 200[32] 92 1995 year-end chart performance for Seal II Chart (1995) Rank Australian Albums (ARIA)[33] 81 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[34] 28 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[35] 90 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[36] 19 UK Albums (OCC)[37] 46 US Billboard 200[38] 56

Certifications

Certifications and sales for Seal II

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[39]	Platinum	70,000^
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[40]	Gold	100,000*
Germany (BVMI)[41]	Gold	250,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[42]	Gold	50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[43]	Platinum	15,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[44]	Gold	50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[45]	2× Platinum	600,000^
United States (RIAA)[46]	5× Platinum	5,000,000‡
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[47]	Platinum	1,000,000*
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.