Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Playing their hits from their respective catalogs made for an enjoyable evening.
By TRACEY D'ASTOLFO
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
YOUNGSTOWN -- Jim and Dan Seals produced a lot of hits in the '70s and '80s in their respective duos, Seals & amp; Crofts and England Dan & amp; John Ford Coley.
So when the musical brothers from west Texas joined forces a few years ago, they doubled their repertoire of songs. On Monday night, the new duo, known as Seals & amp; Seals, treated a Stambaugh Auditorium audience to the best stuff from their back catalogs.
Clad in black hats and with a five-man backing band that included Jim's sons, Sutherland and Josh, on bass and lead electric guitar, Seals & amp; Seals played a smooth and soothing 90-minute set.
Jim has a Western flair, while younger brother Dan leans a little more toward pop, but their musical styles are still very similar. As a result, they can recreate each song just like the original version.
Many of the songs were recognizable from the first few notes.
Hits
The string of hit songs began with Dan's "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight." The pair followed it with the Seals & amp; Crofts smash "Summer Breeze," which also described the pleasant weather that evening.
Other Seals & amp; Crofts songs in the 90-minute show included "Diamond Girl," "Get Closer" and "We May Never Pass This Way Again." Jim's voice, folkier than his brother's, has only slightly mellowed. His vocals at the end of "Hummingbird" still soared.
England Dan & amp; John Ford Coley hits in the show included "Bop" and "Love Is the Answer."
The brothers announced that they are working on an album, which will be their first recording together since they were kids. They played one song from it, which had an island vibe.
Seals & amp; Crofts, which also included Dash Crofts, produced five gold records, while England Dan & amp; John Ford Coley had several enduring hits. Dan got into country music after his duo broke up, and continued his successful career.
Jim and Dan reunited in 2002 when Dan invited his brother to join him onstage at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tenn. Like the crowd that witnessed the birth of the new duo, Monday's audience at Stambaugh -- which numbered at least 1,000 -- sensed the greatness and gave Seals & amp; Seals a standing ovation after their encore.