Seal, Soul 2 (Warner Bros) ***; Cee-Lo Green, The Lady Killer, The Platinum Edition (Warner Bros) *** (From York Press)

Seal, Soul 2 (Warner Bros) ***; Cee-Lo Green, The Lady Killer, The Platinum Edition (Warner Bros) ***

11:44am Friday 13th January 2012 in CD reviews By Maxine Gordon

OUR CD editor thought it would be smart to review Seal with Cee-Lo (but you have to say it out loud to see why). Besides the similarity of their names, both are outstanding singers carrying the ghosts of Marvin et al to a new generation.

Seal has re-cast himself as a standard bearer for the great soul songbook with successive compilations of classic hits. Soul, from 2008, sold three million records worldwide, and the follow up should do just as well.

It all starts superbly with a spine-tingling rendition of Rose Royce’s Wishing On A Star, before moving effortlessly into Teddy Pendergrass’s ode to romantic disappointment, Love T.K.O. The O Jay’s Backstabbers is another winner and Seal does justice to Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On and Al Green’s Let’s Stay Together (although I still love Tina’s version best). Fans of Seal and soul music will enjoy this recording for what it is: a smooth smothering of late-night smoochiness designed to get you in the mood for lurve.

Cee-Lo Green is also mining well-worn pastures with his latest CD; a re-release of his big-hitting 2010 smash The Lady Killer. Fans will have heard it all before, save two new tracks, Scarlet Fever and the new single, Anyway. Neither is as good as the pop-perfect Forget You, but anyone who missed this disc first time round will find the hit-packed The Platinum Edition jukebox gold.