Despite their international success, Westlife have achieved immense popularity in Asia and the Southeast with their recent offerings. While the band’s previous albums were meatier in musical content, “Coast to Coast” still constitutes a pleasant listening experience for both the nonchalant critic and the ardent fan.
“Coast to Coast” is Westlife’s latest offering and this two-cassette, twenty-five-track collection is characterized by a formidable sense of melody and unison. The insouciant musical style of the band is depicted in the impressive “My Love” and “Puzzle of My Heart”, while the chart-topper “Against All Odds”, which couples the group’s boyish charm with Mariah Carey’s vocal prowess, is bound to leave you humming.
Also noteworthy are “Soledad”, a slow tear-jerker; the bouncy “I Lay My Love On You”; and the lyrically-strong “Nothing Is Impossible” and “You Make Me Feel”. The bonus album contains two Westlife covers of the Billie Joel classic, “Uptown Girl” (I must say that I preferred the original), remixes of “My Girl” and “I Lay My Love On You”, and a long-but-listenable megamix of the group’s biggest hits. All in all, a good effort, and one which should please Westlife fans.
This article was first published on 11 Jun 2001.