“So what’s up Oakland?  I’m the one who’s up?  Oh baby, you just made my day.  Thank you.  I’m up, we’re all up tonight.  Well, far be it from me to state the obvious, but it’s incredible being here tonight.  It’s such a privilege to be able to play for you; to sing for you.  Every day I wake up and I have the to opportunity to do this, this thing that we love, I kiss the ground.  You’ve got a lot going on in your great city this weekend.  Well, apart from me; but thank you very much.  One of the reasons we’re up here… to have fun.  Which is essentially the message I want to give to everyone tonight, whether you’re in the back, whether you’re in the middle, whether you’re right at the end, I want you to have fun and understand that I see you.  I feel you.”  The multi-Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter, Seal, taking a moment to express his feelings to a packed Fox Theater in Oakland on the eve of Super Bowl weekend.  Having met the incredible vocalist years ago – that last bit about seeing and feeling the audience – that could not be more true.  Seal has been prolific since his splash in music with “Crazy” back in 1991, with his own original work as well as fantastic covers of classic songs, particularly in the soul genre.  With this one off show this past week, the focus was on his latest (ninth) studio album, 7, released by Warner Bros. last year, with a compelling set list framed by some of his biggest hits.  One of the most earnest and talented live performers in music today, he did not disappoint with an engaging show that left me revisiting his catalog and dreaming about seeing him in concert again soon. [Read more…]