Rob Seals waited four years to deliver a follow-up to 2000's 'A Revolution of One', a record that was named 2001 Male Singer/Songwriter Album of the Year by Just Plain Folks. In the spirit of Leap Year and The Summer Olympics, 'wishlisting' was well worth the wait.
Enlisting the talents of woodwind virtuoso Jeff Coffin (Bela Fleck and the Flecktones), bassist Sean Hurley (Vertical Horizon), keyboardist Brandon Bush (Train), and percussionist Dale Baker (Sixpence None the Richer), Seals has crafted a catchy, richly textured, thought-provoking, deeply moving collection of love songs. From the opening anthem "A Good Day" to the haunting choral close of "Mary" (with stunning vocals by Yep Roc Recording Artist Claire Holley), the record moves from the celebratory to the solitary moments of love--romantic, vocational, divine, creative. What results is a fun, singable, emotional, thump of a ride.
"A beautifully polished gem." - DJ Chris Roulhac, WQFS 90.9 FM, Guilford College
"I felt like 'A Revolution of One' was a fairly intellectual record," Seals reflects. "You know, lots of songs with '-tion' words in them. The individual trying to find his place in the world. The heroic myth. Important stuff. But this record feels more personal in a way. It has a lot more soul and guts to it. The arrangements are complex, the instrumentation varied, but the melodies feel more giving of themselves. It's a generous collection of songs because so much of their content explores various shades of gratitude and responsibility."
This depth of arrangement and feel shine in "Over & Over," a radio-friendly tribute to Seals' new bride. "The Plagiarist" uses a quirky James Brown styled beat and a thick woodwind section from Bela Fleck and the Flecktone wizard Jeff Coffin to explore how the loneliness of the human condition might lead even a successful writer to stoop to plagiarize. "Stay" rends the heart in a manner befitting a WB television show soundtrack.
In all, 'wishlisting' plays like the soundtrack to a poignant comedy you wish you'd seen. We hope you'll check it out.
- New Model Records (www.newmodelrecords.com)
Produced, engineered, and mixed by Rob Seals. Additional guest appearances by drummer Eddie Walker (Ben Folds, Evan Olson), vocalist Justin Rosolino, bassist Steve Sidley (Sam's House), vocalist Ray Loughran (Walrus), and cellist Brian Hoffman.
Attention music supervisors: All compositions and performances owned in full by Rob Seals.
THE LATEST REVIEW OF 'WISHLISTING'
(by UK-based freelance writer Andrew Ellis, for Ink19)
"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, November 2004
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