is a sequel in the truest sense: it delivers more of the same thing that made the 2015 album into a surprise hit around the globe. The gimmick behind both of the albums is taking original vocal performances and setting them to brand-new orchestral arrangements from . isn't as splashy as its predecessor, lacking duets with and (the bonus track, "Just Pretend," does feature ), and it also doesn't contain quite as many rockers as . All this means is thoroughly middlebrow, largely consisting of ballads and soft pop tunes, all given pompous pops arrangements. Occasionally, the new versions aren't too far away from the originals -- usually, this would be for such '70s Vegas showstoppers as "I Just Can't Help Believin'" -- but there's still a disconnect between 's vocal performances and the cheerfully cheesy orchestrations, particularly on numbers like "Kentucky Rain" and "Suspicious Minds," recordings that benefited from the interaction of and the musicians in 's American Sound Studio. To the creators of , all that matters is the power of 's performance, which accentuates. It, like , is executed well -- the separation between the old tapes and new performance is seamless. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine