Although entertainment is seldom considered high art and pop culture occupies the lower end of the rung on the hierarchy, Westlife hailing from the pristine Ireland is nevertheless a group of talented vocal artists who steer popular music away from the heavily contamination of sex and violence.
Like many other who walked before them, Westlife is undoubtedly a boyband - they don't write their music, they are in a group of 5, they dress as if they just walked out of a catalogue. Although not as comely looking as boyband members would like to be (which is a possible cause for their unpopularity in the US), their vocal talent is real.
The songs themselves are nice, clean, and decent love songs. One can get a general feeling of what the songs are about just by glancing at the titles. The lyrics are remenicent of old school serenades that boys sing to the girls they admire in a appropriately passionate way. The melodies, like the lyrics, are nothing profound but are pleasing. Most of them are slow to moderate tempo - not so much of the upbeat-pop-song style - like good old love songs should be.
This is their sophomore album. Like their debut album, Coast to Coast is a collection of songs one would enjoy listening to in the car or singing along to while alone. This albuem, however, marks a small leap to maturity. I consider there to be more melodic variations than in the first album. Some of the lyrics can also be interpreted to encompass beyond romantic love but greater affection of other existence as well. Not to mention this album has 4 oldies covers. Against all Odds, Uptown Girl, I have a dream, and My Girl. All are suitably chosen to fit the overall theme of the album.
For people who liked their debut album, this is not an album to miss. For those who are not familiar with Westlife, this album is also a good place to start experiencing a more traditional side of popular boyband music.
