Westlife works seriously

Surprising as it may be the Irish boys-band Westlife celebrates a decade next year already. Despite the band's turning from a quintet into a quartet in 2004 its sounding has not changed too much, and although they are far from being boys now the basic material of Westlife still includes sensual pop ballads driving their young romantic female fans crazy. This year the collective releases its already eighth studio work next to 2005's record Face To Face. Having not a single doubt that it is best at romantic, soft and kind ballads, Westlife have tried and recorded Back Home which reminds of the very beginning of its creative work even more than the previous album being different only with more mature vocals and the lyrics more appropriate to the members' age. As before the guys are fond of cover versions of their songs, but this time they have worked seriously creating an album consisting of most new songs and only three covers, and now one may not worry of the lack of songs for romantic evenings.

Successful arrangements and great tunes on Back Home

Due to the contribution of producers Steve Mac, Quiz Larossi, Jorgen Elofsson and Maratone Back Home pleases with successful arrangements and great tunes. The album opens with one of the three covers and the album's lead single, Michael Buble's Home that has obtained even more sensual and deep sounding, refined with the high notes subdued by the vocalists. The album's second single Us Against The World is an amazing ballad with a memorable tune full of emotions and falsetto elements. A more up tempo piano lead composition Something Right has become one more way in a million to tell of one's love. Another cover is Lonestar's song I'm Already There, one of the most impressive compositions here, again refined with piano with the addition of fiddles, with the lyrics that can touch the heart, especially close to those who are departed with their nearest and dearest and miss them. A nice R&B beat fits perfectly well to Westlife's voices on When I' With You, and a capella singing at the beginning of Have You Ever (a cover of Brandy's work) makes it remind of a gospel, but gradually it turns into one of the album's most touching songs, once again due to the lyrics that is sure to find response in every listener's soul and the guys' wonderful harmonies. Guitar appears on Catch My Breath, a mid tempo song and a brilliant example of crescendo, while The Easy Way stands out on the album due to its funkier sounding and a bit retro instrumentation. A classic Westlife song Pictures In My Head with a catchy melody is remarkable for vivid metaphors in its text, and the closer You Must Have Had A Broken Heart is a perfect song for a slow dance or a soundtrack for a melodrama's most heart-piercing moments.

Far from a good-bye album

Successfully approaching their ten year boundary of creative work Westlife have presented us with one of its best albums. With Back Home being so similar to the Irishmen's first creations each of its tracks sounds surprisingly fresh and the adult texts remind that there is an uncommon experience behind the band's shoulders which should be kept in mind. Westlife themselves liked the album so much that even gave the tour which is due next year the same name. The fans have been a bit disappointed to find out that the guys have decided to take a year's rest of their righteous transactions, so in the nearest future we can hardly speak of Westlife's new works except for a DVD version of the new concert program. During the time one can make some conclusions, and Back Home is to be a sort of close of a whole epoch for the team. Many worry that the record could well be the last creation, but judging by the enthusiasm in their keeping in touch with the fans, the four is not yet going to leave the stage, and Back Home is far from a good-bye album.

Alexandra Zachernovskaya
07.12.2007