British musician Seal [ tickets ], who has been out of the public eye for much of the past five years, releases the follow-up to 1998's "Human Being" in September.

"Seal IV," which hits stores on Sept. 9, marks Seal's third self-titled album. The singer released his self-titled debut in 1991 and a self-titled sophomore effort in 1994.

The forthcoming album was quite a while in the making, according to the singer, who told liveDaily in September of 2001 that he planned at that time to release a new album titled "Togetherland" in February of 2002.

"I wrote and recorded a whole other album," he said in a recent statement. "But when it was all said and done, it just wasn't good enough. It took a while to accept that fact, and a while longer to regain my perspective. But I don't think I could have done this album without going through that experience. It allowed me to begin again, to rediscover what I loved about music and how to best express that love."

Seal, who served as his own producer for that now-scrapped album, reunited with producer Trevor Horn for the upcoming release. Horn also produced Seal's first two albums, but the pair had a falling out during the early stages of the "Human Being" sessions.

"I want to give credit where credit is due," Seal said. "Trevor is a production genius of the old-school variety. He reads music, knows theory, is multi-instrumental and has the invaluable social skills to motivate people to do what even they don't know they can do. He's got the discipline and dedication to keep obsessively focused on a verse, a chorus, a whole song or an entire album until it's absolutely the best it can be."

"Seal IV" features the cuts "Waiting for You" and "Get It Together," which are for sale as digital downloads through Seal's website, as well as through Apple Computer's iTunes Music Store. The iTunes Music Store is also selling an exclusive four-track Seal EP titled "Rare Singles Collection." The set houses acoustic, live and remixed versions of previously released songs.