Seal

Quiet as it's kept, Sealhenry Samuel is a bona fide postmodern genius. Outkast's Andre 3000 gets all the glory these days, though Seal also worships faithfully at the font of Ol' Skool. Yet while the Promethean duo from Stankonia continues to take Funkadelicized baby steps to remake Planet Pop in its own image, Seal has assumed the throne of Invisible Man. These 14 tracks display the peaks of the Afropean's sonic tricksterism and poetic cunning. From the stunning "Crazy" onward, Seal exhibits his ability to fertilize the airwaves with gilded blue-note seeds. Years have passed since his "Kiss From a Rose" fame reached its nexus, but Seal's hipster lounge scores ("Killer," "Prayer for the Dying") still take a bow next to contemporary gems "Get It Together," "Waiting for You" and "Human Beings." Along the way, Best sums up Seal's manifesto for a "Future Love Paradise" while lobbying fans to begin construction of said paradise somewhere in the middle Atlantic.