"Soul" by Seal; Warner Bros.

There's no doubt his music has always had soul, but now Seal properly covers the genre with his new aptly titled album, "Soul."

The 12-track collection covers some of the genre's greatest songs. But unlike those ubiquitous "songbook" albums by some other pop stars, Seal doesn't go through the motions; instead he captures the emotion of the era.

His silky smooth voice cuts through the very best that the Philadelphia, Memphis and Detroit sounds have to offer. Still one cannot escape the political overtones that pervade a few of the tracks.

Seal opens the record with a cover of Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come," the song borne of civil rights era struggles and hopes for a better world. Written by Cooke in 1964 shortly before his death, the recent election of Barack Obama to the U.S. presidency makes the song seem even more poignant. Equally relevant to the current political climate is the album's closing track, Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready."

Between those powerful messages are classic songs including James Brown's "It's a Man's Man's World," Ben E. King's "Stand By Me" and Otis Redding's "I've Been Loving You Too Long."

The record provides a contrast from Seal's last album, 2007's "System." Whereas that album was beat-heavy and overproduced, this one, produced by the legendary David Foster, is subtler, paying homage not just to the music, but the period as well. Seal not only recreates the "soul" of these songs, but also honors their relevance along the way.

Check out this track: The Gamble & Huff classic "If You Don't Know Me By Now" maintains the integrity of the original, while still having that distinct Seal sound. It reminds listeners of the range of Mr. Heidi Klum.