As the band you could probably point more than a finger of blame at for kick-starting the whole “90s reunion” phase, it would have been easy for Take That to simply sit back and rest on their laurels. Unlike most of their freshly reunionised peers, the five-now-four-piece managed to produce an album of such remarkable quality upon their comeback that it was almost like having a brand new band to marvel over. The age of the boy band may be long forgotten (and long may it remain that way), but there’s definitely still room for Take That in this world. Because, whilst their colleagues seem quite happy to re-release older material and churn out any old rubbish, there’s a sense of craft over the band’s work. Gary Barlow, despite penning some of the group’s most memorable tracks of the last decade, has now taken a step back and included the rest of his bandmates in on the act. The results, whilst not as incredible as 2006’s initial comeback album Beautiful World, are still remarkable.

Although they’re classified in some areas as a “man band”, this isn’t the 1990s anymore. Take That have realised that and, although their stage shows pay homage to those initial roots, they’ve definitely navigated through the tricky waters of change. Unlike the classics such as Could It Be Magic, Pray, and Never Forget with their over-the-top dance routines and stage shows, newer material along the lines of Patience, I’d Wait For Life, and recent single Greatest Day have seen the band mellow with age and settle into something vaguely resembling a comfort zone. The dancers may still be there, but the band are now fully honed musicians, rather than just being straight-up singers.

Right from the off this point is drilled home, with the dreamlike The Garden. Laced with reverb and some soothing background noise, Mark Owen kicks off proceedings in an impressive fashion before being overtaken by Gary Barlow for the song’s initial chorus and remaining verses. The theme appears to be redemption, and a sense of a successful return for one of the world’s most successful acts. “This is the life we’ve been given, so open your heart and start loving” is the triumphant exclamation, in a not dissimilar manner to the following song, the album’s taster track Greatest Day - a catchier than expected effort. Greatest Day doesn’t really go anywhere, and never progresses beyond the same few lines repeated throughout, but builds up to a fascinating finale that serves to highlight the band’s incredible return.

Hello starts off sounding like last year’s Morrison-approved Shine, with Owen again kicking off the lead vocals - the rest of the band relegated to the role of bearded barbershop quartet. It’s songs such as these and Julie, the album’s halfway point, that he comes into his own. Owen may not possess a ballad voice like that of Barlow, but when the pace is upped he’s the preferred voice.

Barlow gets plenty of chances to showcase his own particular skill though - that of singing slower songs in the most sincere fashion. The highlight of the album is his rendition of the title track, a similar sounding song to I’d Wait For Life but with far more emotion and falsetto. His refrain of “‘I love you’ was too many words to say” and the haunting combination of piano and what sounds like a badly out of tune circus showtune sets the track apart.

How Did It Come To This brings yet more upbeat pop shenanigans to the party, before Up All Night kicks in. Again led by Owen, it’s the high point for him as soft-rock guitars join the show and the band do their cheesy-background-vocals bit for added effect. However, like Hello earlier on, there’s more than a hint of Shine present in its subtle change of direction.

Going back a track though, How Did It Come To This is a track by one of the other members of the band. Frequently overshadowed by their other two companions, Howard Donald and Jason Orange have made a surprise re-appearance as songwriters on the last two albums. This one is Jason’s though, and he holds the fort admirably. It’s the shortest song on record, but presents one of the album’s more average moments. His fellow former-background-singer Howard also gives it a go on the moving What Is Love? Containing some of the album’s deeper moments - some achievement when it’s at least 60% ballad - he sings “if love it truth then let it break my heart / if love is light then lead me to the dark / if love is a game then I’m playing all my cards”, and there’s real emotion there.

Overall, another sterling effort from one of the only bands to actually make a decent fist of this whole reunion thing. They’ve even went down the hidden track route and included a real gem - She Said - at the end of Hold Up A Light. Featuring a stripped down approach, it’s a close challenger for highlight of the album. This attempt may not be as good as 2006’s comeback record, but it’s certainly destined to be one of the most popular and successful albums of 2008 - and with good reason.