Coast To Coast - Westlife

...UK Their albums are; Westlife, Coast to Coast, World of Our Own, Unbreakable, Turnaround, Allow us to be Frank, Face to Face, The Love Album, and Back Home. It is their second and 5x platinum album Coast to Coast, which was released in 2000, which I will today be reviewing.

Track list
1. My Love
2. What Makes a Man
3. I Lay My Love on You
4. I Have a Dream [Remix]
5. Against all Odds
6. When ...
.../> 9. Angel's Wings
10. Soledad
11. Puzzle Of My Heart
12. Dreams Come True
13. No Place That Far
14. Close Your Eye
15. You Make Me Feel
16. Loneliness Knows Me By Name
17. Fragile Heart
18. Every Little Thing You Do

Now I really like this album and looking at it's platinum status so do a lot of other people too. Once again this is an album I can remember vividly listening ... more

After putting my CD's were I can actually see them I have started to re-listen to the majority of them. One band's albums I have particularly taken to 're-discovering' are Westlife's. Now before you shoot me down in flames I am well aware that Westlife aren't everyone's favourite band and their remakes of classic songs and on stage 'moves' don't exactly go down well with some people. Despite all of this I am definitely one of the people that find their music very easy to listen to and for the main part enjoyable. Their albums are easy to pick-up and I usually find that I like most of the songs on them. Maybe this is because they are a band that can actually sing and to be honest I don't think I can say that there is one Westlife song that I have truly detested.

Westlife are an Irish pop band that were formed in 1998 with five members Shane, Bryan, Kian, Nicky and Mark. They were signed by Simon Cowell and are currently managed by Louis Walsh. Since their formation the bands music has greatly evolved and moved from teen pop to contempary adult music. In 2004 Bryan left the band to work on solo projects but despite rumours the rest of the band carried on performing and are still performing today. Together the boys have released - albums, sold more than 40 million records worldwide and gained 14 number one singles in the UK Their albums are; Westlife, Coast to Coast, World of Our Own, Unbreakable, Turnaround, Allow us to be Frank, Face to Face, The Love Album, and Back Home. It is their second and 5x platinum album Coast to Coast, which was released in 2000, which I will today be reviewing.

Track list
1. My Love
2. What Makes a Man
3. I Lay My Love on You
4. I Have a Dream [Remix]
5. Against all Odds
6. When You're looking like that
7. Close
8. Somebody Needs You
9. Angel's Wings
10. Soledad
11. Puzzle Of My Heart
12. Dreams Come True
13. No Place That Far
14. Close Your Eye
15. You Make Me Feel
16. Loneliness Knows Me By Name
17. Fragile Heart
18. Every Little Thing You Do

Now I really like this album and looking at it's platinum status so do a lot of other people too. Once again this is an album I can remember vividly listening to in my early years at secondary school and so has a lot of memories for me. Furthermore it is an album that my mum also likes and so is something that we have both listened to together quite a lot. All of this aside however I think the album is a very strong one.

Now I know that when I normally review an album I usually just pick my top tracks and discuss them but this time I am going to tell you something about each song. My main reason for doing this is simply because I found it too difficult to choose my favourites.

**TRACK 1 - My Love**
Being famous for ballads the opening track on their album 'My Love' is of course a ballad. The music is quite subtle yet effective in my opinion and gives the boys the chance to showcase their voices very well. This track reached number 1 in the UK singles chart.
8/10

**TRACK 2 - What Makes a Man**
This track is also another ballad and is one I really like. The music to begin with once again quite subtle in the form of a piano tune but does increase a little at the chorus with the introduction of some decent drumbeats. Unfortunately this track did not reach the number 1 slot for Christmas as it was beaten to the top spot by Bob the Builder's Can We Fix it. This however did mean that it was their first single not to reach number 1.
8/10

**TRACK 3 - I Lay my Love on You**
This track was not released, as a single in the UK but is again another one of my favourite tracks on the album. The tempo of this track is a little quicker than the first two tracks but is again another ballad. The words to this song are also worth a mention as they are ones that always stick in my head.
7/10

**TRACK 4 - I Have a Dream [Remix]**
This is quite possibly my favourite track on the album and I can say with a certain degree of certainty that it is a favourite of many other people. It is again a ballad track and the vocals are once again faultless in my opinion. It is however the words, which are so poignant and beautiful that really make this track stand out from the rest.

"If you see the wonder, of a fairytale, you can take the future, even if you fail"
10/10

**TRACK 5 - Against all Odds**
This track features the voice of Mariah Carey as well as those of the Westlife boys and was the first single released from the album. It shot straight to number 1 in the UK making Westlife the first act in the UK to have their first six singles go straight to number 1. In my opinion this is again a wonderful addition to the album. Mariah's voice really compliments those of the boys and gives the track that something special. Again the music is rather subtle but this simply makes it easier to hear the wonderful vocals.
9/10

**TRACK 6 - When You're looking like that**
This track is much more up-tempo than the others on the album and so provides a welcome break to the ballads that have preceded it. The vocals are again strong and the words, unlike some up-tempo style tracks, make sense and tell a story. This song is another of my favourites on the album and is one that frequently plays when I'm at home.
10/10

**TRACK 7 - Close**
Back to the ballad's with this track. Close however is of a much slower pace than some of the other ballads on the album and for this reason isn't one of my favourites. The vocals are decent but not the best that they could be in my opinion.
5/10

**TRACK 8 - Somebody Needs You**
Another fast paced and up-tempo track. The vocals are back to their impeccable standard in this track and the music whilst not being as subtle as in some of the other tracks doesn't out-shine the vocal performances.
9/10

**TRACK 9 - Angel's Wings**
Angel's Wings is another ballad track with very subtle backing music that should in theory showcase vocal talent. Unfortunately the vocals aren't as good as they can be although towards the middle of the song they do seem to improve.
6/10

**TRACK 10 - Soledad**
Now I'm not sure why but this is a very strong contender for my favourite track on the album. The opening of the song has a different sound that makes the track stand out but after that it is a return to more subtle background music. The vocals however are fantastic and the harmonies perfectly tuned that they make you want to relax. Listening to the words closely the song is also one that has a lovely meaning.
10/10

**TRACK 11 - Puzzle Of My Heart**
Puzzle of My Heart is another ballad track and is once again is another brilliant track. The changing vocal perspectives makes the song interesting to listen to and as in the last track the harmonies are very close to perfection. The words again tell a story that is easy to listen to and understand.
9/10

**TRACK 12 - Dreams Come True**
Dreams Come True has a rather electronic sound to it that really seems to suit both the words and the vocals. The track is as you can imagine more up beat and fast paced than previous tracks with a strong beat and a more prominent sound. Being completely different to others on the album the track also stands out and is probably one of the tracks from this album that I play most frequently.
10/10

**TRACK 13 - No Place That Far**
After the up-beat sound of the last track is was only natural that Westlife should return to their more natural sound for their next track. The beat however is much more prominent in this track than in some of their other ballads but once again the words tell a story that is made believable by the great vocals.
9/10

**TRACK 14 - Close Your Eye**
Close Your Eyes is another ballad track that begins with a rather prominent beat that suggests the song is going to be more than it is. Saying this however the vocals are again strong and the track is easy to listen to.
7/10

**TRACK 15 - You Make Me Feel**
This is one of the only tracks in which you hear solo vocals of both Nicky and Kian, proving that the pair has strong vocal talent. Their voice on their own however are a somewhat new sound, as they are quite distinctive and therefore make the track stand out. The harmonies are again very strong and the music soft yet effective once again.
9/10

**TRACK 16 - Loneliness Knows Me By Name**
The second this track begins I immediately pulled in for some reason or another. The track seems to be a blend between one of their more famous ballads and their less famous up-beat tracks. The music is quite prominent but again doesn't overthrow the vocals of the boys themselves. Breaks in the background music also prove that the boys can sing and don't need background music to hide flaws.
9/10

**TRACK 17 - Fragile Heart**
This song near enough starts without any background music and continues with are very limited backing track that shows off the vocal performances and is in my opinion quite effective. The words are again quite touching and the ballad style in which they are sung relaxing.
9/10

**TRACK 18 - Every Little Thing You Do**
The last track on the album begins with the vocals of band member Mark and although I generally like his vocals they don't seem to work here. Once the main of the song begins however the performance is immediately much better and therefore becomes much better. Saying this however I think I would have chosen a different track personally on which to end the album.
7/10

Now I'm sure that if you've read this far you're fed up of reading song dissections but I'm afraid there is one more. What I here you say, there are only 18 songs on the album. Well in part that is true, there are only 18 songs listed on the album but if you leave it playing once the last song has finished it will quickly skip to track 30 where there is a bonus track.

**BONUS TRACK**
I'm not sure what this track is called to be perfectly honest but it is a very strong track in my opinion. The vocals are again very strong and the background music suits the words as well as the style in which the song is sung.

You'll be pleased to know that once that track has ended then so has the album and therefore so has my review. The last thing I want to say however is that although some tracks on the album are weaker than others the album is still on the whole a very strong one and is certainly one that I would therefore highly recommend. 

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