Best 1991-2004

Personnel: Seal (vocals); Jakatta, Mikey Dread (vocals); Karlin, SoulShock (various instruments); The Onion (guitar); Michele Chiavarini (keyboards).

Recording information: 1991 - 2004.

Coming out of the UK dance scene via the early-1990s Adamski hit "Killer," Seal Henri Samuel spent the next decade-plus repeatedly appearing on the pop charts, with a sound drawing from the worlds of R&B, rock, and club music. BEST 1991-2004 does a stellar job of displaying the wide-ranging talents that enabled Seal to go from smash ballads ("Kiss from a Rose" and "Prayer for the Dying") to grittier soul ("Waiting for You" and "Get It Together").

The London native is equally at home handling his own songs or other artists' material. Seal's take on Echo & the Bunnymen's "Lips Like Sugar" crackles with the help of reggae star Mikey Dread, while his rendition of the Bacharach/David classic "Walk On By" shines, aided by a slight drum-loop infusion. BEST 1991-2004 is available in a single-disc version (with a silver cover) and as a double-disc set (with a gold cover). Those adventurous enough to go with the latter edition will be rewarded with an all-acoustic album featuring 13 of Seal's best-known cuts performed in an intriguingly spare style.