Not much weight in Gravity

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Karly Cox
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Karly Cox |
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Setting out to prove that boy - or rather man - bands are still relevant in a pop, indie rock and Glee-saturated market, Westlife has released their 11th studio album, Gravity.

Named by a fan on Twitter, the album title reflects the band's intention to be a little heavier, rockier and more serious.

The boys cover two genuine rock tunes, Athlete's Chances and Hoobastank's The Reason, and do it well. But these numbers were soft to begin with and the lads from Sligo haven't added anything particularly different to the mix, so what you get is a pair of perfectly pleasant ballads.

The album is produced by John Shanks, who has worked with and written for a range of artists from Chris Isaak and Bon Jovi to Miley Cyrus and Take That. And the Backstreet Boys. Now, to the uninitiated, all boy bands may seem the same, but the Irish lads sound a lot more like their Florida counterparts on this album - and maybe that's Shanks' doing. Gone are the stool-sitting warbles, to be largely replaced by the sort of multi-layered tune BSB would sing in a black and white video, even down to the accents.

There are a couple of dancey tracks - Beautiful Tonight and No One's Going to Sleep Tonight - but for the most part, this is a collection of the sort of songs established fans want to hear crooned. Nothing new there, then.

YP rating: 3/5

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