After the incredible success of their debut album Camino Palmero, the boys from The Calling are back with brand new material.  Their two year absence from the music circuit has certainly kept fans eagerly awaiting news of their return, so the question is, can they cut it?

Expectation is high as is always the case when artists take a break, yet unsurprisingly the seemingly cool, calm and collected composure of lead singer Alex Band, emanates through the strong track listing on II.

The basic formula is still consistent all the way through, attributing them with their unique, smoky, full-bodied tone with universal appeal.  The tracks are powerful and instantly likeable, some with great anthem quality, which is how they achieved recognition for ‘Wherever You Will Go’. 

In a nutshell, fans will find it hard to fault the album.  It races through 13 tracks, each with their own appeal be it ballad like or get up and go, leaving you wanting more of the divine vocal talent of Band.  ‘Your Hope’ is simply beautiful and I had to keep on re-playing the beginning just to hear his Johnny Cash/Jason Wade-like deep, cavernous tones.  A few tracks on there have already been tipped for similar success as their previous material, and ‘Things Will Go My Way’ certainly has that potential.

So has their time off changed them?  With their feet firmly planted into new good quality material it can only be onwards and upwards for The Calling.

(4½/5)

Release date: 31 May 2004