Seal Hugs It Out with Hot New Chick

1:58 PM PT -- The woman has been identified!!! She's actress Erin Cahill from the ABC show "Red Widow." We're told Erin and Seal met two days ago at a charity function.

Seal has broken the seal ... or so it appears ... passionately embracing a beautiful mystery woman in L.A. yesterday.

Sources close to the singer tell TMZ, the woman is NOT his publicist, his assistant, his manager, or anyone else professionally related to him ... which TOTALLY MEANS THEY'RE BANGING.

It's the first time he's been seen out with another woman since he and supermodel Heidi Klum split last year after 7 years of marriage.