Westlife and former Westlife member, Brian McFadden, both released new tracks on the same day. Despite Westlife’s better commercial success, I’m more intrigued about Brian McFadden’s music of choice.
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Westlife in their new video
Westlife Moves On In 2019
Westlife is one of those ‘boy bands’ that arrived onto the scene well after I lost interests in these types of bands. Still, I know how big they were – I didn’t live under a rock, you know! They were larger than life for many years. So, I realize how big their return is. Their single, “Hello My Love”, is their first release since 2011 and it’s marked their return with quite some success. Needless to say, after years of rumors, Westlife are reunited and back.
My initial response to “Hello My Love” was mixed. Westlife updated their sound to what’s currently going on in pop music. The song is catchy and very easy to listen to. It just ticks all boxes of pop music today. So, thumbs up there.
However, though it makes the band fit in and competitive to today’s offerings, I’m also a little disappointed. The music has grown, but they stayed old fashioned with the song’s topic and lyrics. Somehow, I expect more mature topics than just to appeal to a woman’s heart. Maybe it’s just a safe (read: commercial) bet for a return, but most boy bands take the opportunity to come back to incorporate some of the things they always wanted to do, but never could before. Usually the sound or lyrics mature.
Now, I’m not saying it’s a bad bet at all. The song is the perfect pop song. It just makes me curious of what’s to come. Is there going to be a little more life and relationship experience seeping through the rest of their new material?
Westlife will be touring throughout the UK and Ireland over the summer. Check their Facebook page for details.
Brian McFadden in soul mode
Brian McFadden Steps Back In 2019
I don’t know why, but Brian McFadden released his version of Otis Redding’s “Cigarettes and Coffee” on the same day. Maybe someone thought he could ride the wave of a big Westlife comeback, but I think it had the opposite effect for him. His single, “Cigarettes And Coffee”, got completely unnoticed.
The single is his version of a classic Otis Redding song and follows up two other Otis covers Brian released, last year. They’re part of a full cover album called “Otis”, expected this year. A bold choice that intrigues me, because where Westlife played it safe, Brian takes risks. In fact, if he had released an original song like this, I would’ve dedicated the whole blog to it and ignored the Westlife release. But, despite the risk of releasing soul music, the cover itself stayed close to the original.
Otis
Otis had a particular nasal sound and his voice allowed expression to come through real easy. Brian has actually got a bit of a fuller voice with a rough edge, which I think he actually has to work for. It makes his voice fit some pop, guitar-pop, even pop with a bluesy feel and a hint of soul, but it’s not rough enough for this song. It makes this version a bit more pop than I think he intended. Now, if he had done an original song in this style, I couldn’t have compared and would’ve probably said that it sounds a bit weak in the beginning, but makes up for it later in the song. Nevertheless, I appreciate the effort of this cover.
As said, it seems the Westlife fans have clearly chosen sides. Westlife’s song is charting and Brian’s song is not even mentioned despite the amount of tabloid headlines he’s been getting lately.
Brian is supporting Ronan Keating on his tour and then doing a smaller tour of his own in April.
Listen To Westlife
All songs I mention in my music blogs can be found on my Spotify Playlist, “Featured Music Blog Songs”
Listen to Brian McFadden
All songs I mention in my music blogs can be found on my Spotify Playlist, “Featured Music Blog Songs”
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