There comes a time in the life of any manufactured pop band worth their salt when they try and throw off their shackles and break the mould that has been created for them. It may involve a radical change of image, an attempt to start writing their own songs or even a management coup. The results are often glorious but short lived – Take That went bonkers on Never Forget and then promptly disintegrated; the Spice Girls dumped Fuller, lost Geri, prospered and then released a disastrous third – and it would appear final – album. From there, it’s solo careers for some, back to oblivion for others. The theory that it’s better to burn out than to fade away remains an attractive one. But what about another objective: to mature into genuine artistic relevance of the kind achieved by the Four Tops or The Temptations?
Now on their fifth album and with a greatest hits behind them, surely the odds are on Westlife if not executing an abrupt volte face, then at least tinkering with the formula a little bit?
The title Turnaround suggested that with their latest album, the moment may have arrived. Their image has certainly toughened some, with Nicky particularly smouldering in the sleeve photos. But that such speculation was ill-advised was confirmed when they trailered the album with a Barry Manilow cover. Actually, ‘Mandy’ isn’t bad at all in a big Westlife ballad sort of way and pulls off the clever commercial trick of uniting fans of the original and the who-the-hell-is-Barry-Manilow? teen brigade.
Far, far better is ‘Hey Whatever’, the subject of much controversy amongst Relish fans but a fantastic pop soul record nonetheless, that has more in common with the spirit of the original than many blinkered rock fans would be willing to acknowledge. If nothing else, it shows what the five are capable when given the right song.
What’s curious is that Westlife haven’t done more to get involved in writing songs themselves. On Turnaround, they remain focused on other people’s material, functioning essentially as the final stop on a pop production line, despite the fact that Bryan McFadden at least has already shown the basis of a writing talent. That the pop production line is an effective one, and that this is a supremely polished, beautifully made record is indisputable – but Turnaround still says very little about the five individuals who, while they should be at the heart of it all, sometimes appear oddly peripheral.
Once you accept the status quo, however, there’s a fair bit to enjoy. ‘Heal’ is a classy, American style rock pop number that has all the right bells and whistles. The good mood starts to fade though as they slip back into ballad autopilot with the aptly titled ‘Obvious’. ‘When A Woman Loves A Man’ and ‘On My Shoulder’ offer more of the same, insubstantial fare that’s full of vague pronouncements
on love.
The title track increases the tempo and is all the better for it, and although the production is a little gimmicky, the band sound up for it, as they do on the relatively funky ‘Thank You’.
Their version of Extreme’s ‘Be With You’ is fine too, the more simple acoustic approach showcasing an impressive vocal performance. The album finishes with ‘What Do They Know?’, which one hopes might be a grand fuck-you gesture to their critics – but is just another slushy ballad. Oh well.
You can’t dispute the fact that no-one makes a Westlife record like Westlife, which was once to their distinct advantage. Trouble is, now that people like the Sugababes, Busted, Liberty X and Blue are making decent records too, they’re in danger of sounding archaic, which has to be a potential pitfall in the fast moving pop world. While still head and shoulders above 90% of the no-hope boy bands out there, it’s the other 10% that they should worry about.
“A life without taking chances is no kind of life at all”, they sing on ‘I Did It For You’. Perhaps they should heed that advice a little more in their music.