The Promise (Luxury Edition)

Performer: Il Divo
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Il Divo: Carlos Marin, David Miller , Sebastien Izambard, Urs Buhler (vocals). Audio Remasterer: Vlado Meller. Arranger: Dave Arch. With the arrival of THE PROMISE, the remarkable success of vocal crossover act Il Divo is certain to continue. Comprising four classically trained singers, Il Divo alighted upon a unique sound by bringing operatic technique to romantic and popular songs. The result--as heard on the #1 albums SIEMPRE and ANCORA--is sustained and refined on this 2008 release. With its lush arrangements, songs sung in Spanish, Italian, and English, and the quartet members' gorgeous voices, THE PROMISE may not pack many surprises, but that won't come as a disappointment to devoted fans. Songs include "Amazing Grace," Abba's "The Winner Takes It All," and the Holly Johnson and Trevor Horn classic "The Power of Love," make this effort another dazzling showcase for the voices of Il Divo. The greatest proof that Simon Cowell is some kind of mad, crass genius, opera-pop group Il Divo don't stray from their blueprint on their fourth proper album, The Promise, but the formula does show some signs of wear. The Promise isn't greatly different in feel or form from its predecessors -- it is still stately, dramatic Euro-pop covers of soft rock classics balanced by a couple of made-to-order tunes -- and that's part of the problem. Without a change in sound or mood, the novelty of opera singers singing pop songs is beginning to wear off, particularly because the group's material here isn't as strong as its prior albums. Previously, they sang songs that were hits the world over -- "Nights in White Satin," "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman," "All by Myself" -- but here they rely on "The Power of Love," ABBA's "The Winner Takes All," and Charles Aznavour's "She," which wind up skewing this toward the group's Euro roots and give it a bit of a turgid, stuffy feel, something that Il Divo are predisposed to in the first place. While this is hardly a disaster, it is complacent, giving fans no compelling reason to choose to listen to this over the other Il Divo albums they have unless they just want more of the same. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine Opera-pop group Il Divo don't stray from their blueprint on their fourth proper album, The Promise, which isn't greatly different in feel or form from its predecessors -- it still consists of stately, dramatic Euro-pop covers of soft rock classics balanced by a couple of made-to-order tunes. Previously, they sang songs that were hits the world over -- "Nights in White Satin," "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman," "All by Myself" -- and here they rely on "The Power of Love," ABBA's "The Winner Takes All," and Charles Aznavour's "She," which wind up skewing this toward the group's Euro roots. Ultimately, fans can choose to listen to this or to the other Il Divo albums, because The Promise offers more of the same. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Billboard (p.77) - "They're happy to pull every heartstring known to man -- or at least middle-aged woman -- which gives their crescendo-crammed records a kind of refreshing honesty."

The brainchild of music industry player and infamous American Idol judge Simon Cowell, Il Divo is a pop/classical male vocal ensemble made up of four international heart-throbs (French, Swiss, Spanish, and American). The duo's two multi-lingual albums (in 2004 and 2005) have both been smash hits and have positioned Il Divo as something of an adult-contemporary version of the Spice Girls, albeit with some serious vocal chops.

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