Dirty Vegas first entered mainstream consciousness via an automobile ad -- their mesmerizing "Days Go By" was ubiquitous on television long before anyone knew their name -- but the British trio show no sign of fading into the background on this surprisingly diverse sophomore disc. Instead of sticking with the soft-focus synth-pop that permeated their
debut, the group go the organic route on
One, layering songs like "Save Me Now" with enveloping sheets of real strings and peppering the disc with guitars that are alternately set to soothe and stun. They take the former approach on "Roses," a deftly delivered slice of prog-pop that ambles along on a path lined with gentle piano touches and six-string fillips that evoke memories of
Duran Duran's early-'90s ballad mode. Frontman Stephen Smith ratchets up the energy level on a brace of more danceable numbers, most notably "Walk into the Sun," a sweeping tune that bears a trace of
Simple Minds in its DNA. There are those who might bristle at the relatively subdued ambience of
One, but in the end, it's refreshing to see that these ponies know more than one trick.
