Continuing their string of overtly sentimental albums, the multinational
Il Divo released their fourth (including
The Christmas Collection) full-length,
Siempre, which contains more of the same Latinized versions of pop songs, as well as some originals (written by their producers). All four
Divos sound professional and emotional, especially Spanish baritone
Carlos Marin, who seems on the verge of tears every time he opens his mouth. The arrangements for the songs (including West Side Story's "Somewhere" -- the only one that's in English -- and the Italian version of
the Moody Blues' "Nights in White Satin," among others) are always very clean, with soft acoustic guitars and pianos backed by subtle yet swelling strings, adding to the romanticized idea and portrayal of the group. To be fair, all four are very talented vocalists, and they manage to make Bryan Adams' "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman" sound even more profound and sensitive when they sing it in Spanish, and their phrasing on both "Without You" (originally made famous by
Harry Nilsson) and
Lucio Dalla's "Caruso" (with some of the lyrics cut out, despite the fact they're all listed in the album booklet) is excellent, drawn out to pull as much emotion as possible from each of the songs.
Siempre is exactly what you would expect from
Il Divo, so if you want more of what they've already given, it should be a satisfying record. [This edition of
Siempre includes a bonus track.] ~ Marisa Brown