IT'S been five years since the last Seal album and fans should find this worth the wait.

Some 75 songs were written for this CD with 11 making it on to the final recording - so there are no fillers.

Reunited with producer Trevor Horn, Seal recreates his hallmark sound with a cool and sophisticated collection of pop songs fusing airy musical arrangements with his gravelly, soulful voice.

From the opener, the single Get It Together (so good he plays it twice, in a reprise at the end), each song explores a range of tempos but never sways too far from the core of what the album is: easy listening for the Eighties generation.

Some may call it bland, background music even, with the occasional bop track. It is all of these things, which is why it hasn't been off my CD player.

Updated: 08:46 Thursday, September 25, 2003