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REVIEWS OF WISHLISTING
“Wishlisting is a beautifully polished gem.”
- DJ Chris Roulhac, WQFS 90.9 FM Guilford College Radio
“Further proof -– as if it was needed -– that outside of the mainstream
media are some truly gifted and talented musicians is immediately found
on Wishlisting, Rob Seals’s sophomore record. The LA resident released the excellent A Revolution of One in 2001, and Wishlisting builds on that album’s crisply produced, polished and thoughtful Americana-pop.
Wishlisting
seems to be even more melodic and memorable than its predecessor, with
tracks like “Play,” “Over and Over” and “A Good Day” remaining long in
the memory. “Lying Awake” is a stunningly beautiful piano-based track
that is as emotive as anything Seals has written previously. The
delicate yearnings of “Stay” pull at the heartstrings, as does the
closing track, “Mary,” which highlights Seals’ expressive, yet
restrained voice. It’s not surprising that Seals always has something
interesting to say on this album, and tracks like the cleverly written
“The Plagiarist” confirm that notion, with a perfectly executed and
sophisticated take on a novelist finding something notably familiar in
a book he picks up.
Musically, Seals shares some
similarities with Dave Matthews and early Vertical Horizon, due in no
small part to the presence of VH bassist Sean Hurley among an
impressive list of musical guests. As a result of such collaborations,
top notch production and some wonderful songwriting, Wishlisting has an air of quality which very few independent recordings can match."
- Andrew Ellis, UK Freelance Writer, Ink19
"Rob
Seals, who received his master’s degree in poetry from UNCG, can turn a
phrase like a young Fred Chappell (Poet Laureate of North Carolina),
and on Wishlisting, he has assembled some beautiful lines about those emotions that make you ache in the dark, single digits of the day.
Wishlisting,
which was created in part with a grant from the United Arts Council of
Greensboro, is a good business card for Seals on the Left Coast. Seals
is a subtle guitarist with a honeydew tenor voice. His production has
made Wishlisting a rich, textured recording full of good
performances from his talented crew of friends: saxophonist Jeff Coffin
of Bela Fleck, keyboardist Brandon Bush of Train and Sean Hurley of
Vertical Horizon, not to mention an all-star backup from the Gate City
with Eddie Walker on drums and Ray "Walrus" Laughran on vocals.
Nice.”
Jeri Rowe, GoTriad Magazine
REVIEWS OF A REVOLUTION OF ONE
" It is perhaps entirely appropriate that Rob Seals’ press biography
not only lists his notable achievements as an independent musician, but
also details his career as an English teacher. Because on A Revolution
of One, Seals demonstrates that music and education are strongly bound
together. The depth of Seals' music is a trademark of the whole album...
Most of Seals’ superbly written, performed and produced songs deal with
personal and collective lessons learned, intertwining
thought-provoking, intelligent lyrics with a strong sense of melody,
and the fact that various members of Vertical Horizon and Evan Olsen’s
band help out on numerous tracks speaks volumes about his talent.
The title track is one such song to benefit from the contributions of
Vertical Horizon’s Ed Toth and demonstrates exactly what Seals’ music
is all about with a distinct Paul Simon influence and a pinch of the
Dave Matthews band sound. Already it’s clear he isn’t shy to tackle
strong lyrical concerns and this is reaffirmed on the excellent
‘Generation Why’, exploring the labelling of the so-called Generation X.
Despite the weighty content, the songs are undeniably melodic which
makes the presence of an artist with something interesting to say even
more welcome. Nowhere is this more evident than on the infectious
jangle pop of ‘Jenny Millennium’, the stop-start rock-pop of ‘In Our
Time’ and the acoustic pop of ‘The Key’.
The depth of Seals' music is a trademark of the whole album, and the
detailed picture of relationships painted in ‘Savannah and Japan’ or
the pastiche of Elizabeth Barrett Browning in ‘Count The Ways’ is a
fairly good indication that Seals is a cut above songs about booze,
girls or nights out with the guys.
Diversity is the key word here, and some Clapton-esque bluesy acoustics
on closing track ‘Me Back Here’ mix effortlessly with the folky ballad
‘A Prayer At Sea’. But the standout track amongst a whole collection of
gems is ‘A Few Repairs’, a rootsy, melodic tune that demonstrates a
lyrical tangent reminiscent of Mary Chapin Carpenter’s brilliant ‘This
Shirt’: "This car drives me crazy/worn tires losing air/it breaks down
but then we all do/I could stand a few repairs". Some great guitar work
and a neat structure give the song the sameimpact as its illustrious
cousin, and demonstrates enough talent to suggest Seals could follow
Carpenter into the mainstream arena very soon.
Even though I’m sure such success is a goal of his, it’s obvious that
Seals has entirely different priorities for his music. However clichéd
it may sound, Seals is more concerned with the message of his music
rather than the reward it can bring and that’s a lesson worth
remembering in the hollow pop landscape of 2001.”
-Andrew Ellis, Indiemonkey.com
Rob Seals -- Quiet Man, A Lot To Say
It's the quiet ones you have to watch. The unassuming ones, the ones
who seem reserved or shy, affable and humble, but have talent and
passion seeping through their fingers and musicality oozing through
their pores -- quiet guys like Beck, like Ben Harper, like James
Taylor. Like Rob Seals.
Rob Seals is a Greensboro-based singer-songwriter who upon a
face-to-face encounter, comes off as a pleasant, unassuming and amiable
guy -- his calmness is that steady, his demeanor that tranquil; but one
underestimates his passion for song-craft and his utter respect for the
gifts he's been given. And they're many. He's one busy testament to the
oft-used and abused phrase, "working musician."
Since last year, Rob's been the host of an ongoing music series held
monthly at Border's in Greensboro, called the Second Wednesday
Songwriters Showcase, which has featured such out-of-towners like the
lauded Kyle Davis and the ultra-talented Claire Holley. He spends the
better part of his non-MC'ing time on the road performing his own
original songs, splitting shows with other artists all over the east
coast and beyond, and acting as sideman for Claire Holley and
well-known folk artist Bruce Piephoff.
And when he isn't performing, hosting showcases or recording, he's busy
teaching kids how to appreciate music, how to turn up their own
creative pilots and find the calm voice that speaks to the muses. In
fact, Seals was far away from Greensboro when we caught up with him for
this interview. He spoke with ESP via phone from Virginia, where he is
currently in the middle of a stint as "artist in residence" at
Episcopal High School.
So you want start a revolution?
A Revolution of One is the Chattanooga, TN-born and raised musician's
latest contribution to the local (and hopefully regional and national)
music scene. On a basic level, the CD is a very enjoyable collection of
songs -- poppy, eclectic, expertly crafted and produced, just the right
balance of earnestness, wistful speculation and humor.
But a closer look (and listen) reveals great sincerity and a whole lot more depth.
The first (and title) track for example, is a bittersweet ode to hope
and the possibilities created out of changing the only thing we know we
can (uh, that "we" is ourselves, get it?).
"The notion of a `Revolution Of One,' said Rob, "is speaking about
change being within an individual; whether those changes are societal
or merely how someone changes the way they see their day. I think a lot
of the songs on this record are trying to confront difficult ideas from
different angles. Having a willingness to let go of your expectations
for the surprise and the learning that comes from that process."
Yet Seals is quick to point out that his journey toward songcraft-land
has been humbling. "My biggest growth period as a songwriter came a
number of years ago when I became more willing to let songs teach me,
and I hopped down off my soap box and stopped trying to preach.
(Revolution...) is a collection of songs that really taught me; a lot
of them were about confronting an ideal and learning to embrace the
real, what lies beyond it or beneath it."
So much of what Seals writes is acutely sincere; each line seems to
possess a genuine duality that works on myriad levels -- the lighter
obvious top layer and the darker message below.
And on a track as wonderfully light and amusing as the groovy "Cover
Man," (which features some terrific dobro work by Seals, and
backgrounds by Ray Loughran from Greensboro's Walrus), the message
isn't as simple as comic book heroes weary of their super
responsibilities.
"`Cover Man' is exactly an example of song which taught me what it
wanted to be about -- the line about "I don't wanna be Superman no
more" is where the song began, and I had no idea what that meant at the
time, but by the time I got to the bridge, I understood it was a song
about being accepted and accepting yourself for who you are. The last
bit about the cover songs (`ain't gonna play covers no more') just
tumbled out. I realized that I'd been playing a lot of covers for years
and was moving to a place where I wanted my songs to be the focal
point."
Three different messages in one song without an iota of trite soap boxing!
Life love and perfection
If you delve deeply enough into the songs on Revolution... you won't
find anything overtly happy or sad -- there's a whole lot of gray area,
which makes perfect sense in this, our whacked out, chaotic world. And
love is a big target.
As Rob says, "The love songs on the record that are about coming to terms with not being perfect."
Take "Count The Ways," a track which borrows a poetic idea from
Elizabeth Barrett Browning (and features vocals from Rob's old duo
partner Ellis Butler); it's a love song, but the roses are a bit droopy
and the diamonds lack a bit of luster.
"The chorus asserts that `I believe in you and me,' but the speaker has
to admit his foibles," says Rob, "and the second verse is all about how
his love is a failure, how we fall short of being the ideal."
Are life and love as bleak as all that?
"There's sort of a forlorn quality to it all," he adds with a chuckle,
"but there's a certain richness that comes from making these
realizations and accepting the world in its imperfections. All that
idealism gets informed by loss and realism."
As a seasoned songwriter, Seals seems perfectly comfortable with
presenting his musical views within the scope of both observational and
autobiographical stances. The trick is to use language that isn't
directly reflected back to him personally.
"It's a fallacy to ever assume that any writer (in any mode of
expression) who ever says `I' is talking about himself, and there's
something so intensely personal about music that we naturally assume
that that person is singing to us when we hear them on stage or the
radio. We infer all these things about his or her life.
"To assume that all of the events or emotions in a story line are true about me or the personas are me would be wrong.
"`Few Repairs' is about my dad and his car, but it doesn't have to be. It's a song about a car and a relationship."
Music, music, music
If you've had your fill of lyrical depth by now, let's focus on the
music. Much of the songs on Revolution... are undeniably appealing --
that beaten old cliché "it's got a great beat and you can dance to it"
applies neatly here. Rock, pop, a thread of slide country and acoustic
sensibility, great harmony -- a lovely mix.
Seals' bio says he's "Paul Simon meets Dave Matthews." In this writer's
opinion, Seals' music is less frenetic than Matthews', but has Simon's
fascinating musical conversationality down pat.
Rob is an accomplished guitarist (playing acoustic, electric, dobro,
slide), yet what gives the songs on Revolution of One their
radio-friendly punch is that he has called on some truly talented
individuals to help him create a record that, egads, might be called a
new genre -- smart pop!
Vertical Horizon's Ed Toth (drums) and Sean Hurley (bass) guest on four
tracks; Doug Derryberry (now Bruce Hornsby's guitarist) co-produces
seven tracks. Closer to home, Seals enlisted the aid of Steve Graham on
bass; Eddie Walker, drums and percussion; and percussionist Romero
Wyatt, who Seals says will do a few CD release party shows with him
here and there.
"I'm the beneficiary of a lot of other people's ideas," disclosed
Seals. "I have friends all over this record and this made it so much
more meaningful for me."
And so Rob Seals will fight the good fight, continue to learn, continue
to teach, teach himself, teach us, and be grateful for it all. That's
enough for a quiet man, don't you think?
- Allison B. King, ESP Magazine
Rob Seals
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