On his fourth album, Seal [ tickets ] once again proves that he's your go-to guy when it comes time to pop in a soothing, mellow-mood-inducing batch of songs.

The singer-songwriter's greatest asset remains his seductively rich, lush and powerful voice, which he uses to deliver lyrics that sound convincingly heartfelt, personal and, at times, cathartic. When Seal sings: "Then the rainstorm came over me / and I felt my spirit break / I had lost all of my belief, you see / and realized my mistake" (on "Love's Divine"), the words seem to speak directly to his struggle to complete this disc; during the five years since his previous release, the singer scrapped an entire finished album before retreating from L.A. to his native London, where he put together "Seal IV."

Standouts include upbeat cuts "Get It Together," "Waiting for You," "My Vision" and "Let Me Roll," as well as mellower numbers "Touch" and "Heavenly ... (Good Feeling)," both of which would sound right at home on Seal's 1994 sophomore effort.

The new album's overall vibe is far more uplifting than that of his comparatively dark 1998 set, "Human Being," but also feels more tempered and mature than his overwhelmingly jubilant first two albums. The quality that "Seal IV" does share with all of its predecessors, however, is that it's the right soundtrack for a romantic evening at home.

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