After the huge critical and public acclaim for the soundtrack to the first series of Sherlock, fans have not had long to wait for the release of the soundtrack of Series 2, composed once again by the fantastic talent of David Arnold and Matthew Price. I absolutely loved the soundtrack to

. It was exceptionally individual, and captured the quirkyness of Sherlock perfectly. Series 2 was a darker affair, and the music certainly reflects this on album. The question is whether it is worth buying this album if you have the first. The answer is 100% yes. Whilst previous themes are referenced, this album has a darker feel and there is a lot of new material on the album. It certainly isn't the first album rehashed with "Series 2" on the album cover.



Regarding the tracks themselves, I won't bore you with a second by second analysis of every track. However, tracks that really stood out for me were the stunning "Sherlocked" (Track 7), "Prepared to do Anything" (Track 17) and and the brilliant conclusion to the album "One More Miracle". These tracks a are must have in my opinion (more relevant to those downloading individual MP3 tracks), but the whole album, like the first, has a consistently high quality throughout. I would recommend purchasing the CD or the whole album for the greatest enjoyment. Individual tracks a matter of personal taste though, and like Series 1, I thought the track selection was excellent, with all the best music from the series appearing on the album.



Running in at just under 50 minutes, this album is about 8 minutes shorter in length compared to Series 1. Whilst it would be easy to complain and say that the album length could be longer, I was perfectly happy with it. The tracks run in chronological order of the episodes. The first seven tracks are from episode 1 "A Scandal in Belgravia", tracks 8-14 are from episode 2 "The Hounds of Baskerville", and tracks 15-19 conclude the album with music from the "The Reichenbach Fall". From a production perspective the recording sounds exceptionally crisp and very well mixed.



Overall, the soundtrack to the second series of Sherlock is even better than the first. The thing I love about this release is that it isn't just a rehash of material from the first series - sure, some of the themes are repeated but the feeling of this album is quite different. Quirky - yes. Electrifying - yes. But this album is darker than it's predecessor, and that gives it a distinct character of its own. If you own the soundtrack to Series 1 and are unsure whether to get the music for Series 2, don't think twice. Arnold and Price have delivered the goods for Series 2 in terms of quality, and the album is distinct enough from the first to definitely warrant the purchase. It's going to be a bit of a wait until Series 3, but until then, enjoy what has to be one of, if not the best scored show on TV.