When I first heard "Raincloud", the single from Lighthouse Family's second album, Postcards From Heaven, it did not leave much of an impression on me. I thought the video was grim and the song built up well but failed to reach its "climax". Still I wasn't going to let one song deter me from buying their second album. I enjoyed their first album Ocean Drive and it was the title track that compelled me to buy the album then. Based on my impressions of their debut album I ventured out to seek Postcards From Heaven. After searching for the CD high and low, (as I was misinformed by a certain Italian person that it was out and it wasn't then) I finally managed to get hold of the CD and at a discounted price too. Minutes down the road Tower Records was selling it at a premium. So I was rather chuffed with my purchase. Was it worth it? Well, for the price that I paid, I would say the CD is value for money. I have listened to the album several times over now and each time I never get tired of it. It passes me by so quickly that it was as if I have not been listening to it. Meaning to say that the songs sound so monotonously alike that one hardly notices the album is passing one by. I tend to "judge" an album by the number of times it manages to catch my attention as I carry on doing other things. It does take a lot of concentration and patience to really listen and soak in the album due to the "unhurried" nature of the music. Unlike the album Ocean Drive, there were moments which made me "perk up". Even the song that I least liked on Ocean Drive i.e "Sweet Operator" made me notice it because it was different from the rest of the album and admittedly an interesting rhythm to it. There were highs and lows as I went through Ocean Drive but with Postcards From Heaven, it was flat. It is not to say that the album is bad. In fact I like listening to it. It is so smooth and polished that there was hardly any "jolts" to the album. The album had great melodies, in fact more melodic than the first album. Accessible music that somehow lacked character or any edge to it. It was produced by Mike Peden who incidentally produced Ocean Drive too. Both Paul Tucker and Tunde Baiyewu wrote almost all the songs as it was in Ocean Drive. Perhaps the difference is that they had a longer time to put together Ocean Drive than Postcards From Heaven. Martin Brammer ex-Kane Gang co-wrote the single "Raincloud". He was also the collaborator for the single "Lifted" on Ocean Drive which became a mega hit for them. I doubt if it will be a "deja-vu" with "Rainclouds" though. There are three other collaborations on the album mainly with Tim Laws who wrote Gabrielle's "Dreams". One of which is "Lost In Space" which reminded me of Elton John's "Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds" on some parts although the song itself is far from it. While "Once In a Blue Moon" had opening riffs reminiscent of Lenny Kravitz's "It Ain't Over Till Its Over" but later dissipated into something completely bland. The most outstanding track for me would be "Let It All Change". It has the hallmarks of a potential single with an infectious chorus. Move the tempo a beat faster and add a bit of "spice" to the remix and they could be heading for another big hit. For those, expecting the second album to be a continuation of the first, well, you won't be disappointed because it is. They seemed to have perfected their "recipe" for smooth sounding music. I liken their music to eating Haagen Daz ice-cream i.e smooth and creamy as well as "sexy" (as their ads suggest). However, like any other ice-cream, be it Haagen Daz or Walls or some unknown brand, they are nice but they are non-essential.