June 1, 2010 3:04 PM
- Text
Singer Puts His "Seal" On Change
(CBS)
This story was written by CBSNews.com's Melissa Castellanos
President Obama isn't the only one who has been seeing "glimmers of hope" lately.
Grammy-award-winning artist Seal has tapped into Mr. Obama's positive outlook and is using his music to embrace a new era of change in the U.S. and abroad.
It was evident on stage Thursday night when the London-born singer of Nigerian decent took his soft, sultry sound up a notch in a rendition of Sam Cooke's ballad, "A Change Is Gonna Come" at Radio City Music Hall in New York.
The number -- originally written as a protest song in support the Civil Rights movement -- is the first track on Seal's sixth studio album, "SOUL."
"The whole reason this album came about was not only because of what was going on in the U.S., but what was happening worldwide," Seal told CBSNews.com. "When I started making this record, people all over the world -- especially the youth -- were frustrated by the recklessness of our governments. There was a general want for things to get better. It was a global collective consciousness -- a desire for change that manifested itself through President Obama."
The crowd at Radio City Music Hall rose to its feet when the song was done. Seal told fans about his version of the "American dream," reminiscing about the first time he came to the U.S., 20 years ago, to pursue his music career.
And while he said he loved his homeland, England, he declared, "America is the best country in the world."
A change is gonna come for Seal on a more personal level as well. He confirmed that he and his wife, Victoria Secret model and "Project Runway" host Heidi Klum, 35, are expecting another child.
The couple already has two sons, Henry, 3 and Johan, 2. Seal also adopted Klum's 4-year-old daughter, Leni, whose biological father is Italian businessman, Flavio Briatore.
Klum and the kids were in the audience Thursday night. When Seal pointed them out in the crowd, Klum stood up, cheered and motioned that the kids were sleeping.
Seal said he found humor in the fact that paparazzi were camped outside his New York hotel to confirm the pregnancy rumors while there were so many other things going on in the world.
Seal has had a run of hits over the past two and a half decades: "Don't Cry," "Crazy," Grammy-winning "Kiss From A Rose," and "Love's Divine."
On his "SOUL" album, he puts a smoky spin on James Brown's "It's A Man's Man's Man's World," Ann Peebles' "I Can't Stand The Rain" and Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes' "If You Don't Know Me By Now."
"Those lyrics are just so personal," he said of the last song.
Putting his signature on some of the Motown's greatest hits may not have been the easy, but the 46-year-old artist reached deep into his "SOUL" and decided to take the risk.
"Well I have to admit, the enormity of the task only really hit me when we started recording," he admitted. "If I'd thought about it too much beforehand, I might have lost my nerve. I'm incredibly pleased to say though, that even the toughest critics have given it their thumbs up, and with nearly 3 million albums sold worldwide, it's obviously struck a chord with people."
Seal teamed up with singer/songwriter/producer David Foster to produce "SOUL." Foster has helped catapult the careers of Celine Dion, Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey to superstardom and has offered his advice to "American Idol" hopefuls.
"I can't enthuse enough about David," Seal said. "He's an astonishing human being. He is without doubt the most talented musician I have ever met."
When you work with Foster, Seal said, you have to bring your A game. "There's no mucking about when you're in the studio with him," he added.
Who inspires Seal? He says Stevie Wonder's "Innervisions" is "probably my favorite album of all time" and lists himself as a fan of Jimi Hendrix and Bono.
"They are perhaps three of the most iconic musicians and modern artists of all time," he said.
Seal also draws inspiration from Klum and their children.
"Having children is the most astonishing and inspiring experience of your life," he said. "It changes everything. Every day with them is an inspiration."
Is this singer of love songs a romantic?
"I'm not sure if it's possible to rate your own level of romance," he admitted.
"I proposed to Heidi in an igloo, 10,000 feet up a mountain," he said. "I'm always writing, so that was a pretty inspirational place."
President Obama isn't the only one who has been seeing "glimmers of hope" lately.
Grammy-award-winning artist Seal has tapped into Mr. Obama's positive outlook and is using his music to embrace a new era of change in the U.S. and abroad.
It was evident on stage Thursday night when the London-born singer of Nigerian decent took his soft, sultry sound up a notch in a rendition of Sam Cooke's ballad, "A Change Is Gonna Come" at Radio City Music Hall in New York.
The number -- originally written as a protest song in support the Civil Rights movement -- is the first track on Seal's sixth studio album, "SOUL."
"The whole reason this album came about was not only because of what was going on in the U.S., but what was happening worldwide," Seal told CBSNews.com. "When I started making this record, people all over the world -- especially the youth -- were frustrated by the recklessness of our governments. There was a general want for things to get better. It was a global collective consciousness -- a desire for change that manifested itself through President Obama."
The crowd at Radio City Music Hall rose to its feet when the song was done. Seal told fans about his version of the "American dream," reminiscing about the first time he came to the U.S., 20 years ago, to pursue his music career.
And while he said he loved his homeland, England, he declared, "America is the best country in the world."
A change is gonna come for Seal on a more personal level as well. He confirmed that he and his wife, Victoria Secret model and "Project Runway" host Heidi Klum, 35, are expecting another child.
The couple already has two sons, Henry, 3 and Johan, 2. Seal also adopted Klum's 4-year-old daughter, Leni, whose biological father is Italian businessman, Flavio Briatore.
Klum and the kids were in the audience Thursday night. When Seal pointed them out in the crowd, Klum stood up, cheered and motioned that the kids were sleeping.
Seal said he found humor in the fact that paparazzi were camped outside his New York hotel to confirm the pregnancy rumors while there were so many other things going on in the world.
Seal has had a run of hits over the past two and a half decades: "Don't Cry," "Crazy," Grammy-winning "Kiss From A Rose," and "Love's Divine."
On his "SOUL" album, he puts a smoky spin on James Brown's "It's A Man's Man's Man's World," Ann Peebles' "I Can't Stand The Rain" and Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes' "If You Don't Know Me By Now."
"Those lyrics are just so personal," he said of the last song.
Putting his signature on some of the Motown's greatest hits may not have been the easy, but the 46-year-old artist reached deep into his "SOUL" and decided to take the risk.
"Well I have to admit, the enormity of the task only really hit me when we started recording," he admitted. "If I'd thought about it too much beforehand, I might have lost my nerve. I'm incredibly pleased to say though, that even the toughest critics have given it their thumbs up, and with nearly 3 million albums sold worldwide, it's obviously struck a chord with people."
Seal teamed up with singer/songwriter/producer David Foster to produce "SOUL." Foster has helped catapult the careers of Celine Dion, Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey to superstardom and has offered his advice to "American Idol" hopefuls.
"I can't enthuse enough about David," Seal said. "He's an astonishing human being. He is without doubt the most talented musician I have ever met."
When you work with Foster, Seal said, you have to bring your A game. "There's no mucking about when you're in the studio with him," he added.
Who inspires Seal? He says Stevie Wonder's "Innervisions" is "probably my favorite album of all time" and lists himself as a fan of Jimi Hendrix and Bono.
"They are perhaps three of the most iconic musicians and modern artists of all time," he said.
Seal also draws inspiration from Klum and their children.
"Having children is the most astonishing and inspiring experience of your life," he said. "It changes everything. Every day with them is an inspiration."
Is this singer of love songs a romantic?
"I'm not sure if it's possible to rate your own level of romance," he admitted.
"I proposed to Heidi in an igloo, 10,000 feet up a mountain," he said. "I'm always writing, so that was a pretty inspirational place."
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