Love To Love - Volume Two, like it’s successful predecessor, finds Marti Pellow back at home in front of string-soaked orchestrations and acoustic arrangements - bringing our blue-eyed soul singer to his favourite love songs. And on top of that, he delivers a brand new song, One True Love, written by Pellow and performed as a duet with West End star and singer, Louise Dearman...

Love To Love - Volume Two is the follow up to Marti Pellow's 2011 Love to Love album. The original went straight to No. 1 in Tesco’s Music Chart as well as getting into the top 30 slot in the UK pop charts.

This follow-up album is filled with another selection of some of romantic love songs handpicked by Pellow, and all of which mean a huge amount to him personally. Each song was crafted by writers and artists who have inspired and moved him over the years, the ones he returns to time after time.

The album was produced, arranged and performed by Marti’s long term collaborator, Grant Mitchell, orchestral arrangements by Grant Mitchell and Paul Campbell and the strings were performed by the Irish Film Orchestra.

The songs chosen include: Barbra Streisand and Paul Williams’ 'Evergreen', Fleetwood Mac’s 'Songbird', America’s 'I Need You', Bread’s 'If', The Bee Gees 'How Can You Mend A Broken Heart', Bobby Goldsboro’s 'Summer (The First Time)', Michael McDonald’s 'I Can Let Go Now' and two songs by songwriter Jimmy Webb, 'All I Know' and 'Wichita Lineman'.

Coming out just in time for those last minute Christmas present shoppers, Pellow's album feels oddly out of time. I'm in my 40s and this is the sort of album that people of my parents age would have enjoyed back in the '80s.

The arrangements are impressive, but I couldn't help feeling that Pellow's vocal range doesn't quite stretch to some of the tracks, 'Evergreen' being the most notable example. The ending involves holding a note for quite some time, and I'm surprised that they used the take that's on the album. There must have been a better take than the one on show. You can hear Pellow struggling to sustain the tune - an issue he doesn't have with 'Wichita Lineman'.

Some might also find the inclusion of a new song by Pellow to be a bit presumptuous - as though he's putting this unknown track in the same leagues as some classic love songs. However, 'One True Love' is an interesting song and believe it or not doesn't seem out of place here.

Obviously, as it's Pellow and there are plenty of classic songs, this will fly off the shelves.

Track listing:

01 - 'Summer (The First Time)' (Bobby Goldsboro)
02 - 'One True Love' (Marti Pellow / Grant Mitchell / Beth Eden)
03 - 'I Need You' (Gerald Beckley)
04 - 'I Can Let Go Now' (Michael McDonald)
05 - 'How Can you Mend a Broken Heart' (Robin Gibb / Barry Gibb)
06 - 'Evergreen' (Paul Williams / Barbra Streisand)
07 - 'Wichita Lineman' (Jimmy Webb)
08 - 'If' (David Gates)
09 - 'Songbird' (Christine McVie)
10 - 'All I Know' (Jimmy Webb)

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Nick Smithson