著名乐评人王晓峰先生曾经说过：如果一种革命性的音乐出现，随之而来的就是无数人加入到革命的行列，这样的例子屡见不鲜。90年代Grunge乐走红，转瞬间美国的另类遍地皆是，Spice Girls把个性与流行乐结合在一起，于是就出现数不清的个性组合。这是唱片业存在的一个很普遍的现象，哪块云彩下雨，就会有无数这样的云彩挤过来，一起大雨倾盆。

于是，当Five、A1、Westlife同时挤上同一个唱片架争强斗妍的时候，歌迷的选择不仅丰富了，也给善于喧哗的媒体摆开了一桌绝妙的酒席。而选择 这张专辑与其说是看好这五个男孩的前途不如说是给他们的经纪人Ronan一个面子。否则，在一张利物浦队的球票和一张名为 的专辑面前，对于当时初出茅庐的Westlife来说，绝大多数人会毫不犹豫的抓起前者。但是牺牲一场球赛或者一个周末晚上的蹦迪换来的代价确实很值， 这张专辑中一共产生了5首英国冠军单曲，有一举惊人的纯纯民谣 "Swear it again" 和 "If I let you go" ，可以让人想起很多其他民谣乐队的作品，比如Beautiful South ； "Flying without wings" 中五子的合声演绎出一种纯真的感情；Shane主唱的感伤情歌 "Fool again" 也绝对是独处时的花酒；而重新翻唱的柯达胶卷广告曲 "Seasons in the sun" 则是一首音色俱佳的杰作，包含了对儿时生活的怀念和对老朋友的眷恋，给人带来无限感慨，古人云：“人生如梦，一樽还酹江月”，每个人都有梦想，但是，不要让心中的梦想永远成为梦想。 "I don't wanna fight" 很动人；犹如天街小雨般轻快的 "No No" 让人心旷神怡；还有中慢板的抒情曲 "I swear I need you" 和有Boyzone味道的 "Try again" 。在电子乐，迷幻摇滚和舞曲轮番上阵轰炸市场的今天，Westlife的音乐给人一种清新自然的感觉，别有一种情趣，不过本张专辑略显时间过长。



年轻人们需要新的声音，新的形象，新的刺激，既然黔驴技穷的美国人不能给新人类带来新的冲击，除了Britney Spears，那么英俊的英国小绅士正是另一种全新的代替物。而在 这张专辑大获全胜之后，我们不妨用古老的分类法来做一下总结，回过头去，在90年代初期的欧美乐坛，是New Kids on the Block和Take That的天下，这算是第一代的偶像团体。然后是中期的BSB、N'sync、Spice Girls和Boyzone，这是第二代的皎皎者，现在则是O-town、Westlife等第三代团体上位的时候，而作为从Boyzone而来的最直接的爱尔兰流行音乐的后继者，Westlife的首次出击，就打出了一个漂亮的本垒，寻遍所有的字典，只有一个词可以描述他们，那就是“Wonderful”！至少有一点可以肯定了，Westlife会拥有比Boyzone更加光辉的前景。Go on! Guys!

by: 资深乐评人Tom

by Jaime Ikeda

Westlife has taken the world by storm much in the same manner as did their predecessors Boyzone and Take That. Under the tutelage of Ronan Keating (from Boyzone) and his manager, Louis Walsh, five handsome and, most importantly, talented young men were assembled and groomed to create this debut. The album itself is well-sung, but all too similar in its final output. Mostly comprised of ballads whose theme is the obvious sort (i.e., love gained, lost, and pleaded for), the hooks are infectious and several tracks are destined for recurrent radio status in the not-too-distant future. This pared-down collection of songs from their multi-platinum worldwide smash release is much more palatable than its original incarnation, which ran a lengthy 17 tracks. The gems and solid compositions are what their American label has presented. Every song is well-produced and well-placed in the set; as mentioned, each track is perfectly executed. This assemblage is a worthy complement to the listening pleasures of anyone enjoying the likes of today's most popular boybands (e.g., Backstreet Boys, Five, N'Sync). The album overall can be characterized as sometimes bland but unforgettable, with the standouts "Flying Without Wings," "I Don't Wanna Fight," and "Swear It Again."