Face To Face - Westlife

...Allow us to be Frank, Face to Face, The Love Album, and Back Home. It is Face to Face that I will be reviewing today.

Face to Face was released on 31 October 2005 and is a really nice album to listen to in my opinion. The album reached number 1 in the UK charts giving the boys five number one albums in seven years.

Track list
01. You Raise Me Up
02. When You Tell Me That You Love Me
03. Amazing
...however is less in your face than it was in the previous song although it does its job as you would expect. The vocals are strong and consistent and the harmonies powerful enough to compete and win with the backing track.
9/10

**TRACK 12 - Maybe Tomorrow**
This track is a really lovely one to end the album of. It sees a return to Westlife's normal ballad style song but this track has a little bit more punch than some ... more

I became a fan of Westlife when they were formed in 1998. Ten years on I would still class myself as a fan of theirs. The simple reason for this is because their music is so easy to listen to and I can't honestly say that there is one song that they have produced that I have hated. I will admit that there have been a couple that I'm not as fond of but there isn't any that I physically can't listen to.

Now I know that the Westlife boys aren't exactly everyone's cup of tea and that their remakes of classic songs and on stage 'moves' don't always make them popular but this factor doesn't bother me in the slightest, as the boys themselves can actually sing, not only singly but also as a harmonised unit and it is this I think that should be focused on more than it often is.

Westlife is an pop band that initially had 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 with I Have a Dream/Seasons in the Sun staying at the number 1 spot for 4 weeks in 1999. 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 Face to Face that I will be reviewing today.

Face to Face was released on 31 October 2005 and is a really nice album to listen to in my opinion. The album reached number 1 in the UK charts giving the boys five number one albums in seven years.

Track list
01. You Raise Me Up
02. When You Tell Me That You Love Me
03. Amazing
04. That's Where YOU Find Love
05. She's Back
06. Desperado
07. Colour My World
08. In This Life
09. Heart Without a Home
10. Hit Me With the Real Thing
11. Change Your Mind
12. Maybe Tomorrow

**TRACK 1 - You Raise Me Up**
This was the first single released from this album and is what catapulted Westlife back into the limelight. The music to this track truly is sublime and exceptionally relaxing and the words themselves are quite poignant and motivational in many ways. The vocals as we have come to expect from Westlife are pitch perfect from the start and the harmonies some of the best I have ever heard. The backing track does not at one point outshine the vocal talents yet holds its own to make the song a very memorable one.
10/10

**TRACK 2 - When You Tell Me That You Love Me**
This track is a duet with the songs original artist Diana Ross. Despite Ross's exceptionally powerful voice the boys more than hold their own and the overall effect is that they all gel well together to produce a brilliant track. The backing track is subtle yet prominent enough to make an impact without overshadowing the vocal performances.
10/10

**TRACK 3 - Amazing**
Amazing is an original Westlife track and was the final single released from this album. Unfortunately the track only peaked at number 4 making it their lowest selling single. This track has a mid-tempo and so is different to the two previous tracks on the album. In this position the track works quite well but I can see how as a single it was not quite what the listener may have been expecting. The vocals as usual are strong and the harmonies of a very high quality.
8/10

**TRACK 4 - That's Where You Find Love**
This track sees a return to the subtle ballads we are so accustomed too. The backing track is subtle yet highlights the vocals just as it should and so is effective. The vocals themselves are consistently strong and the interchanging leads and varying harmonies add are certain something to the track as a whole.
9/10

**TRACK 5 - She's Back**
This track is much more up-tempo than any of the others on the album. It is quite fast paced and has a strong steady beat throughout and a rather punchy, compared to normal, soundtrack. The lyrics are decent and the vocals strong as usual but it just isn't one of their best.
t/10

**TRACK 6 - Desperado**
This track is a cover of an Eagles classic. The song in question has always been one of my favourite Eagles tracks and so to impress me the boys really had to do a good job, which I pleased to say is exactly what they did. The backing track remains faithful to the original, as do the lyrics. The vocals themselves also take on a similar sound to that of the Eagles and the style really suits the boys as a whole. The changing lead vocals give the song a little something with the superb vocals and harmonies doing the rest with ease.
10/10

**TRACK 7 - Colour My World**
The lyrics for this song are different to those of the other songs and the vocals also have a different sound too although I'm not too certain how I feel about this. Vocally though the performance is strong and the backing track although simple does it's job well enough.
7/10

**TRACK 8 - In This Life**
This track sees a return to the simple ballads that the band are famous for. The backing track is subtle and simple allowing the vocal strength of the band to shine through from the very beginning. Shane Filan and Mark take the lead vocal positions as they do in quite a lot of the tracks and both do a really good job at putting a great deal of empathy into what they are singing although it is apparent that Shane manages this with a greater ease. An overall very enjoyable track.
9/10

**TRACK 9 - Heart Without a Home**
This is another ballad song and is one of my favourites on the album. The lyrics are strong throughout as are the vocals, which from the start seem to pitch perfect. The harmonies are consistent throughout as usual and the backing track although simple and a little like a lot of backing track seems to really add something to the overall feel of the track.
9/10

**TRACK 10 - Hit You With the Real Thing**
The backing track to this song has a completely different feel to the others on this album and the vocals also have a completely different sound. The track as a whole has quite a pumpy beat and is relatively up-tempo compared to the rest of the album. The overall feel of the song however seems to suit the lyrics and the boys as a whole.
9/10

**TRACK 11 - Change Your Mind**
This song is also quite up-tempo and fast-paced compared to the other album tracks. The backing track however is less in your face than it was in the previous song although it does its job as you would expect. The vocals are strong and consistent and the harmonies powerful enough to compete and win with the backing track.
9/10

**TRACK 12 - Maybe Tomorrow**
This track is a really lovely one to end the album of. It sees a return to Westlife's normal ballad style song but this track has a little bit more punch than some of the others. The lead vocals are shared by all the boys, which gives the song a different feel and the harmonies are wonderful as usual and give the song a sense of class. The lyrics themselves are beautiful if you listen to them and are really put forward well by all involved.
10/10

This album is a very well thought out, created and produced one and is quite possibly my favourite to date. The order of the tracks seems perfect and gives variety in the right places. All of the tracks on the album are also of exceptional quality and weak links are not found, in my opinion. This album is therefore one that I would highly recommend for those looking for a selection of easy yet memorable listening. 

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