• 艺人:Westlife   欧美男艺人
  • 语种:英语
  • 唱片公司:BMG
  • 发行时间:2000-11-06
  • 类别:录音室专辑

Coast to Coast专辑介绍

  有了 的铺垫, 成为英国冠军专辑应该是很正常的事,但更具有象征意义的是, 是骄傲地踢掉Spice Girls的 后登上宝座的,为前者婉惜的同时,我们也要对Westlife成功接过青春流行乐队的接力棒而击掌叫好,尽管他们的音乐实际意义和他们的前任一样都不大。

英国的流行音乐气候总是让人捉摸不透,Boyzone的方向一片迷茫,拆伙的阴云密布;Spice Girls几乎一夜间从波峰一下跌到谷底。而现在Westlife的五子拥有代表成功的一切装备。热门的歌曲,必杀的外型,巨大的销售数字和可观的歌迷团体。相比之下,Five的嘻哈乐似乎更适合爱蹦爱跳的美国佬,而不是“安静的”不列颠人。

Bryan, Shane, Nicky, Mark和Kian这回慷慨地给歌迷们带来了19首歌!单从歌曲数量上讲实在很对得起歌迷。在 中,民谣的成分有所降温。它的范围从好听的 "My Love" 、 "What Makes A Man" 到 "Close Your Eyes" 、 "You Make Me Feel" ,专辑中也加入了一点新尝试,比如拉丁风味的 "Soledad" 。比如 "When You're Looking Like That" ,这是一支funk节拍的迪斯科舞曲,很象Prince的 "U Got the Look" ,这不是个坏主意,至少我们知道了Westlife也能作出一道味道纯正的美国派。 "My Love" 是一首浪漫的民谣,它使用了大量的钢琴,许多弦乐器,而表达出的是一种既甜美又苦涩的情感,而Westlife们讲,这首歌不仅是一首情歌,还包含了他们对祖国爱尔兰的深情。What makes a man?这是个难度很大的多学科多角度的问题,不过Westlife们给了男孩们一个方向,也许那是一支体面的歌,如果你是钢琴基调的民谣歌曲的爱好者,那么就轻轻地摇晃着来欣赏它吧。能和乐界的大牌艺人合作,是一种荣幸,也是一种自豪。'N Sync曾经与拉丁天后Gloria Estefan合作,而Mariah Carey在 "Against All Odds" 中与Westlife成功合作说明Westlife已经正式成为BMG的重要品牌产品之一。这首1984年的老歌被制作人Steve Mac在原有的旋律中加入一些七十年代的funky迪斯科曲风,不知Collins先生会有何看法。 "I Have A Dream" 是一首慢板抒情歌曲,而歌词不由让人想起一些美国著名诗人Henry Wadsworth Longfellow的传世名作。

而人红了自然会引来一些麻烦,子曰:“枪打出头鸟”。一些Anti派指出,Westlife总是选择在萧条期出货,这样夺冠会简单些。我们不排除老谋深算的BMG唱片公司的商业技巧,但不得不注意的是:这种发片方式并不是BMG公司的专利,它适用于所有歌手、组合与注了册的有发行能力的实业公司,如果它的同行们愿意,它们也可以在任何时间给任何歌手发行唱片,什么时候发行唱片是自己的事。

最后, 这张唱片无疑很长,智力测验就是要看看人到底笨到什么程度,而超过50分钟的唱片毫无疑问是要试试人的耐力强到什么程度。不过,BMG好象不在乎“每出一张唱片就是一次冒险”的行业老话,而是大胆打牌,但很幸运,它的质量没有因长度而打太大的折扣,看来只要有男孩子唱着美丽感伤的情歌,自有伴着他们的痛苦而落泪的女孩子,确实不用在乎是否会在公司的帐目上做出一个非常大的坏帐准备,而且,想必Westlife们已经隔洋眺望那座英国歌手们朝思暮想的自由女神了。

by: 资深乐评人Tom

by Peter Fawthrop

Westlife's debut album was like an appetizer at Jean-Georgs, compared to the fast-food boy band music shoveled out on 99-cent menus. Their sophomore album, Coast to Coast, brings about that feeling of being overstuffed by a fancy main course and being offered dessert. At that point the quality of food doesn't matter as much; you're ready for the check. Even the Mariah Carey duet sounds rehashed -- is the best she would offer them a remake of her own remake of Phil Collins' "Against All Odds"? As was the case on their first album, the production quality is spectacular, so crystal clear that it makes the immaculate production of pop albums from just the last few years sound murky. The vocal talent here is powerful too -- bet your life savings that when the group fades into oblivion at least one of them will be jolted to higher fame. It is a familiar sight -- the trend that began with Take That, then shifted to Boyzone, then grasped by Westlife (who were mentored by Boyzone's Ronan Keating). It is as if the same group just keeps being reincarnated, but their age stays the same -- perhaps this is the United Kingdom's version of Menudo. While the money-minders of the record labels may not have a vision that extends much further from their earnings, their strategies have not artistically been in vain. Forget claims by those who pick favorites due to nostalgia. The music has only gotten better with each group. That is why, coming from a most promising cast of talent, Coast to Coast is so disappointing. It is stitched together with more of the same ("Angels Wings" is highly reminiscent, not in name only, of "Flying Without Wings"). Big, sweeping productions with graceful "oohing" and "aahing" choirs supplying the lead singers with atmosphere does sound exquisite, but it only goes so far when every song sounds like the last one. Whoever spends as much time getting the production quality just right has neglected to insist that the production sounds varied throughout. The songs are also not as memorable as in their previous work because the writing is so concentrated on one subject and sound. For evidence, notice how a later, stylish track, "Loneliness Knows Me By Name," kicks life into the album after a long, monotonous series of songs. "My Love" was also not chosen as the first single without good reason. It has the same lucidity as the best of their work. If not for their first album and the few really good new songs, Coast to Coast could have fooled anyone. There is a saying you may have heard, "Separate but equal." In this case, it is "Same but not equal." With every possible edge over the competition, it seems tragic that the producers and writers unconsciously chose that as their theme.