The fact that this 2018 sequel to A Love So Beautiful -- a 2017 construction which teamed original Roy Orbison vocal tracks with overdubs from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra -- is titled after a song Orbison never released as a single is a signal that the producers poured all the big hits into their first album. Indeed, of the 15 songs on Unchained Melodies, there is only one big song from Orbison's golden decade: "Blue Bayou," whose sultriness is diluted by sticky strings. This means Unchained Melodies relies on songs from Orbison's late '80s comeback -- "She's a Mystery to Me" is here, along with the Elvis Costello-penned "The Comedians" -- but it also means that this relies on stately ballads, not rockers (there is no "Oh, Pretty Woman" or "Mean Woman Blues" in sight). This makes Unchained Melodies hold together as a record better than A Love So Beautiful -- it also means there aren't many embarrassing missteps, like the orchestra sawing away at the riff to "Oh, Pretty Woman" -- but the central conceit is still misguided, turning the elegant, dreamy Orbison into something saccharine and mawkish. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine