It’s hard to believe that Irish boyband Westlife has been around for a dozen years now, with almost as many, 11, records to their name.

And unlike fellow ‘90s boybands-Take That, New Kids on the Block – who disappeared for years before making recent comebacks, Westlife (albeit less high-profile than when they first started) has been consistently releasing albums almost every year.

Known for their dreamy love ballads and penchant for covers, the quartet has stayed with the formula for their latest album Gravity consisting mostly of the former, with Westlife reinterpreting rock band Hoobastank’s 2004 hit “The Reason” and indie English outfit Athlete’s single “Chances”. But the band shows you they can do better than simply dish out slow songs, by pulling off fast-tempo tracks like “Beautiful Tonight” and “No One’s Gonna Sleep Tonight” with aplomb.

Gravity is produced by the Grammy-award winning John Shanks who has collaborated with their boyband peers like Backstreet Boys and Take That.

Although the band has emphasised in interviews that this is vastly different from their previous records, calling it “a new beginning for Westlife”. UrbanWire feels that this album sounds like something they could have released 5 years ago, or even earlier.

This would be harsh criticism for most bands, but for Westlife, it’s not a bad thing at all. Seeing as how they have developed a loyal following by producing similar themed albums, a drastic change in music direction wouldn’t be worth the risk.

Love it or hate it, the group’s sappy-sweet lyrics stay the same, with dependence on their other half showing through almost consistently in the album.  Gravity’s only single “Safe” opens with cavity-inducing lyrics that go: “Hard to find a way to get through/It’s a tragedy/Pulling at me like the stars do /You’re like gravity.”

The track “I Get Weak “ is just as guilty, going straight for a melodramatic effect with its opener:

My love/My heart/Oh bruised and broken all alone / When we’re apart I die inside /Oh this room is like a battlefield of love tonight.”

It was acceptable a decade ago, but now, some may find their lyrics too over-the-top in a world that progressively understands cheesy as being (gasp) un-modern.

Is it a bad thing though?

Well, this band has managed to survive 12 years doing just fine (44 million records sold worldwide).

One thing about Westlife is that the band always manages to do justice to their covers, despite the flak that they’ve garnered for doing too many of them. This time, the band’s stirring rendition of “Chances” is definitely one of the highlights of the album. And while the quartet’s music direction is vastly different from Hoobastank’s, their ballad-like execution of “The Reason” is a refreshingly good listen.

Lead singer Shane Filan, who’s a father of 3, had admitted in an interview that the band was actually uncertain of this album’s covers and that they had only stuck to it because of executive producer, longtime former American Idol judge Simon Cowell’s assurance that it would sell. Seeing as the album remained at the Number One spot for three consecutive weeks on the Irish music charts, it seems like the band’s still got it, and not just for their covers.

No, Gravity isn’t anything ground-breaking, and they’re unlikely to gather a new fan base through this album. Cheesy lyrics, love ballads, and covers, done. Same tried-and-tested formula that they’ve been sticking to since Day One, check. But for their followers, that’s all that they need.

This unabashed Westlife fan is satisfied.

Artiste: Westlife

Album: Gravity
Rating: Three and a half out of five stars

Language: English
Genre: Pop
Record Label: Sony Music
Release Date: 22 November 2010

Track List:

  1. Beautiful Tonight
  2. Safe
  3. Chances
  4. I Will Reach You
  5. Closer
  6. The Reason
  7. Tell Me It’s Love
  8. I Get Weak
  9. Before It’s Too Late
  10. No One’s Gonna Sleep Tonight
  11. Difference In Me
  12. Too Hard To Say Goodbye