| Vol. II: 1990 – A New Decade | |
| Type: | Album |
| Artist: | Soul II Soul |
| Cover: | Newdecade.jpg |
| Released: | 21 May 1990 |
| Recorded: | 1989–90 |
| Genre: | Electronica, R&B, new jack swing |
| Length: | 46:23 |
| Label: | Virgin |
| Producer: | Jazzie B., Nellee Hooper |
| Prev Title: | Club Classics Vol. One |
| Prev Year: | 1989 |
| Next Title: | Volume III Just Right |
| Next Year: | 1992 |
Vol. II: 1990 – A New Decade is a 1990 album by Soul II Soul. The album reached No. 1 in the UK in May 1990, and contained three UK hits, "Get a Life", which reached No. 3 (and which peaked at No. 54 on America's Billboard Hot 100), "A Dream's a Dream", which made No. 6 (and peaked at No. 85 on the Hot 100), and "Missing You", which reached No. 22 (and did not chart on the Hot 100).
The album was recorded following the departure of Caron Wheeler (the Soul II Soul collective's best known singer). Guest performers included singers Kym Mazelle, Lamya, Marcia Lewis, and Victoria Wilson-James, saxophonist Courtney Pine and New York hip-hop scenester Fab 5 Freddy.
Reviewing Vol. II for Spin, Nathaniel Wice found Soul II Soul's music successful at communicating positivity "in a sly, critical way." "Soul II Soul's harmony," he wrote, "works because it is part of a movement defined in adversity to racism, materialism and Britain's attempts to regulate parties."[1]
| Chart (1990) | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[2] | 95 | |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[3] | 43 | |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[4] | 56 |