Ricky Martin has nothing on Seal! Seal's mere stage presence Monday night at the highly acclaimed Backyard in Austin commanded respect and admiration for incredible talent (and the audience liked his swiveling hips, too!)

The 3,000 people (almost sold out show) attracted an excellent cross section of Austin.

"We've come here tonight to spread a message of love and harmony. At the end of the night I want to know how it feels," he proclaimed.

I thought writing a review on Seal would be difficult, as I have never paid much attention to him or his music. I was only impressed that he sang a duet with Annie Lennox at the '96 Grammy's. I was proven wrong as soon as he sang his first note.

Seal is a powerful performer on stage. Each song had a new message with the thread of hope and dignity. And every move, and every sound - from the sensational two back up singers (who by the way were men) to the lights and smoke - intensified the incredible performance.

"Human Beings" was awe inspiring - and while the crowd stared with excitement, the bass caused my blood to boil and I felt that I was part of something . . . I felt that I was becoming part of the universe.

As Seal tuned out, "I lost my faith," I began to find mine for the first time in quite a while.

"We can't afford to lose our faith - if we lose that, we've got nothing left," he told the audience.

Seal's performance was rapture for a young man on the 8th row, who knew every word and beamed with happiness throughout the performance - yes this boy may have been a fanatic, but not at the expense of those around him.

The performance was quite the inspiration for many as he spoke against racial disharmony. "Those tools aren't going to work anymore," he declared, leading into the powerful "Deep Water."

A favorite at the concert was "Superstition." Who'd have thought that Seal could rock?! Then he came out of that song into a riveting performance of "Killer."

My only question: "What do you call a male Diva?"

Final Grade: A/A+