The Promise

The greatest proof that Simon Cowell is some kind of mad, crass genius, opera-pop group Il Divo doesn't stray from the blueprint on its 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, the group sang songs that were hits the world over -- "Nights in White Satin," "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?," "All by Myself" -- but here relies on "The Power of Love," ABBA's "The Winner Takes It 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 Il Divo is predisposed to in the first place.