The British soul singer Seal seems to have backtracked. It was only in 2015 that he expressed his reservations about recording new ‘concept’ albums. Yet only two years later he has returned with his third cover album, filled with a selection of timeless jazz standards. According to Seal, Standards is ‘the album [he has] always wanted to make’.

Whether it is the album fans have always wanted to hear is a different question. Universal Music have certainly not skimped on the production, having enlisted the collaboration of Grammy Award-winning pianist Randy Waldman, double bassist Chuck Berghofer, and drummer Greg Fields. These respective musicians have performed with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Ray Charles amongst others – hence the beautiful, sophisticated, and energetic instrumentation throughout the album.

Seal’s performance is more hit-and-miss. In his favour, his velvety, earthy vocals – with a hint of rasp when stretched – are immediately recognisable. The problem lies in the concept of Standards. Tackling ultra-iconic Rat Pack hits automatically leaves one open to criticisms of being derivative and irrelevant. Sadly, Seal’s voice does not offset what is largely a very pedestrian set of interpretations. Certain songs (‘My Funny Valentine’, ‘Smile’) are marred by unadventurous, paint-by-numbers phrasing. The only number which clearly misses the mark is Seal’s take on ‘I Put A Spell On You’ which fails to capture the dark, manipulative, and intimidating lyric. While he is able to inject more personality into certain songs (‘They Can’t Take That Away From Me’, ‘Anyone Who Knows What Love Is’), it is ultimately the band which buoys the album along.

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Overall, a solid tribute. But not much more than that.

Grade: B

(Image copyright: Universal Music Group)