With its second full-length album of 2006, SIEMPRE, the dapper Simon Cowell-created vocal group Il Divo reinforces its commitment to keeping its adoring fans well stocked with dramatic interpretations of songs from the pop and classical canons. This time around the strikingly handsome international quartet of David Miller, Urs Buhler, Sebastien Izambard, and Carlos Marin offer up a romantic Italian rendition of the evergreen Moody Blues ballad "Nights in White Satin" ("Notte Di Luce") and a smooth Spanish take on Bryan Adams's "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman" ("Un Regalo Que Te Dio La Vida"), resulting in yet another dazzlingly operatic yet highly accessible outing.

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a Woman" sound even more profound and sensitive when they sing it in Spanish, and their phrasing on both "Without You" (originally made famous by Harry Nilsson) and Lucio Dalla's "Caruso" (with some of the lyrics cut out, despite the fact they're all listed in the album booklet) is excellent,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. ~ Marisa Brown