the 31 best of 2007 – 21: Westlife – Back Home

Here we are at 21, with Westlife, and it should be clear by now; there is no stopping the pop on this year end list! Seriously, though, did you really expect anything else? You will find a few rock/indie albums stashed here and there, but I am a boy who loves pop, and is more than willing to embrace it and share that information with the world.

Now, let me tell you why Westlife’s newest album, Back Home:made my year end list. First of all, if there is one thing that makes me weak in the knees, is a male vocalist to swoon over, as he sings me seemingly heartfelt love songs; and with Westlife, you get four of those in one package. Secondly, I have been a fan of Westlife for as long as I have known they existed, and if there is one thing that they have, is that they can consistently bring those pop-laced love songs that I adore so much. Finally, and most importantly, this record really is a testament of them going “back home”; allow me to explain.

I will openly admit, that while I did enjoy Westlife’s previous album, The Love Album, I was more than disappointed to see it was yet another album of covers, as I would prefer that they only sprinkle a couple of covers here and there, and focus on those boyband ballads that I fell in love with them for in the beginning. Thankfully, this record only has 3 covers, and they are all pretty good, and overall, they don’t distract from the overall greatness of this record. I personally think that it is one of the best records that Westlife has released since 2003’s World of Our Own, and that is because they returned to that sound that made them so famous in the first place. There are lots of great single-worthy songs on this album, and enough sugary-sweet boyband goodness to satiate my appetite of pure unadulterated pop.

Yes, I can be a teenage girl sometimes when it comes to swooning over these boybands, but Westlife is THE boyband that gets the most attention from me. If anything, Backstreet Boys should really pay attention to these guys; they have been, and continue to be massively successful doing what they do best. If you don’t like pop, this record will most likely give you a toothache, because of the pure sugar coating on the record, but if you are already a fan of Westlife and/or like boyband-type music, then this is a great album, and you will probably enjoy it as much as I do.

Favorite songs from Back Home:
Something Right
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/w-smthgrght.mp3]
Us Against The World
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/w-usagainst.mp3]
Catch My Breath
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/w-catchbreath.mp3]
Pictures in My Head, and Home.

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