Love
Can Make The World Go Round
-
February 2007
Sometimes,
a little love can make the world go round. No matter what life throws at us or
how difficult things get, people of all ages, all over the world, continue to
turn to the songs that move them; that comfort them and make them think of the
one person that makes everything worthwhile. When Westlife came to record the
follow up to last year's 1.5 million selling 'Face to Face', they knew they
needed something special to match its incredible success. The original songs
they heard just didn't quite fit the bill, but those classic love songs that
transcend time and cross generations seemed perfect.
"We decided to try
and record some of those songs and see what we thought," Shane Filan remembers.
"I actually enjoyed recording this album more than any other because the
material was already of such high quality and the songs have been massive hits.
They're famous love songs so they were always going to be great to sing and
there's bound to be memories on this album for lots of our fans. We're known for
singing love songs too, so it seemed like a great idea."
'The Love Album'
comes after one of Westlife's best years yet. The
biggest vocal group in the world right now, the band enjoyed unprecedented
levels of international success with 'Face To Face' and are more eager than ever
for it to continue now.
"We knew we were on to a good thing with 'You
Raise Me Up' but you never know what other people will think," Nicky Byrne says.
"For it to work so well has made us feel like we've reinvented ourselves. What
other pop band has managed to do that? To have a greatest
hits and then, a couple of albums later, have their second biggest album
yet? We enjoyed every bit of last year."
"It was great," Shane agrees.
"'You Raise Me Up' broke into
"It proved to us that
with the right material, we have the potential to continue as long as we want,"
Nicky adds.
Their devoted fans wouldn't have it any other way. They have
stuck tirelessly by Westlife since they formed in 1998, helped sell out six huge
arena tours and voted them winners of the prestigious Record of The Year four
times.
"We're still a bit surprised by it all," Shane admits. "Sometimes
we wonder what they see us, especially when you get up in the morning and look
in the mirror! We know we're very lucky to have our fan base and without them,
we wouldn't still be around."
With their unfailing support, the band have gone from strength to strength. They've enjoyed a
record breaking 13
"Statistics like that are amazing but they're not important to us
right now," Kian admits. "When we're old men sitting on our couch with our
granddaughters, we'll look back on the statistics and be impressed. But what
matters to us now is our next album. Forget about what we've done in the past,
because that's not worth squat if what we do in the future is a waste of time.
Right now, we're still living it and enjoying it and what happens next is all
that matters."
On 'The Love Album', the band knew the choice of songs
would be the most important thing; that it was crucial to select timeless,
classic tracks but not necessarily the most obvious ones.
"There were
loads of songs suggested," Mark recounts. "Everybody was texting each other ideas all the time. We wanted songs that
were more than just a big hit and could translate well into being a Westlife
song."
"We were adamant it wouldn't turn into 'The Most Cheesy Pop Songs
In The World Ever' album," Shane says.
"It's
definitely different from all those love compilations you see on TV all the
time," Nicky adds. "There are some songs you really wouldn't
expect."
Though the choices are surprising and occasionally daring, they
work together perfectly, sounding as if they have always been Westlife songs.
From the stirring Bette Midler epic, `The Rose', to Lionel Richie's laid-back classic, 'Easy', the band have stayed
faithful to the original versions that are close to so many people's hearts, yet
made them their own with their distinctive soulful voices.
"We couldn't
change them too much because they're so famous," Shane reasons. "If you do,
people will slate you for changing their favourite tune! We put our own stamp on
them vocally as much as we could but some were so beautiful, we literally sang
them as they were. With a ten year improvement on
production!"
The album's theme certainly sees Westlife in their
element. Self-confessed romantics, they list the likes of Celine Dion's 'Because You Love
Me' (Nicky), Lonestar`s 'Amazed' (Shane), Bryan Adam's
'I'm Ready' (Kian) and Maxwell's 'Whenever, Wherever, Whatever' (Mark) among
their personal favourite love songs, while Nicky and Kian cite 'The Notebook' as
an all-time great romantic film.
"Rent it tonight!" Kian
laughs.
"It's unbelievable," Nicky agrees. "I think we're all quite
romantic. My wedding day was my most romantic day. It was amazing because you
want to do it loads of times, but you only ever want to do it once with that one
person, so you never want it to be over."
The album is therefore one of
the band's most intimate and emotive yet, as they pour their own experiences and
feelings into versions of 'You Light Up My Life', 'You Are So Beautiful (To
Me)', 'Have You Ever Been In Love?' and O Town's 'All Or Nothing', a song
originally written for Westlife before the American boy band went on to have a
US Number One with it. Perhaps most striking of all, though, is Westlife's gorgeous version of 'Total Eclipse Of The Heart'.
"It was a mad idea because it wasn't
like anything we've ever done before," Mark admits. "It could have been a
disaster but it seems to have worked really well and everyone we play it to is
really surprised."
"It's a great song and actually it's one of the best
songs on the album," Shane agrees. "Simon [Cowell]
loves it, he thinks it's unreal. Sometimes, I think he likes songs that are out
there just because he wants to prove to himself that they can be done so he can
say 'I was right!'"
The album also includes 'All Out Of Love', a duet with Australian singer Delta Goodrem. "We'd been thinking of doing a duet with her for
ages because she's such an amazing singer," Kian says. "When we did well in
It sits perfectly
on an album that should stir memories in many fans, and introduce some all-time
classic tracks to others. 'The Love Album' is a chance for Westlife to show just
what they are capable of vocally while pouring their heart and soul into
versions of songs that are bound to be treasured just as much as the
originals.
"We're absolutely delighted with the album," Nicky says. "And
I think it will surprise people."
"We've really enjoyed choosing and
recording all these amazing songs, so we just hope other people like it," Shane
concludes. "Our fans have stuck by us all this time, it's really important to us
to give them music to get excited about. And for a few months at least, the
world will have a bit more love in it!"
Credit/Source:
www.sonybmg.com.au