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Released six months after his Mother's Day collection, Songs for My Mother, Ronan Keating's sixth solo studio album, Winter Songs, continues to occupy the seasonal MOR territory usually associated with the likes of easy listening crooners Daniel O'Donnell and Cliff Richard. Like his previous 2009 chart-topper, its 12 tracks, produced by Stephen Lipson (Annie Lennox), mainly consist of interpretations of songs which evoke particular special memories for the Boyzone frontman. Alongside orchestral versions of traditional festive standards "Silent Night" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," there are also understated reworkings of more contemporary material (Sara Bareilles' "Winter Song," Sugarland's "Stay"), and faithful renditions of hits from some rather unexpected sources, including Joni Mitchell ("River"), Simon & Garfunkel ("Homeward Bound") and Bob Dylan ("Ring Them Bells"). Of course, following the untimely death of bandmate Stephen Gately, Winter Songs is undoubtedly an important footnote in Boyzone's 15-year career. His backing vocals appearance on the atmospheric cover of Bing Crosby's "Little Drummer Boy" is his final studio recording, and unsurprisingly, provides the album's most emotionally stirring moment. It's a shame that the rest of the album doesn't spark the same kind of passion, as the likes of the Carpenters' "I Won't Last a Day Without You" and the jump blues classic "Caledonia," made famous by Van Morrison, are performed in the same uninspiring manner which indicates an artist simply going through the motions. Of the two original compositions, the Michael Bublé-esque "It's Only Christmas," is a melancholic, swirling, string-led number which would comfortably earn its place on any Yuletide compilation, but "Scars" is the kind of dull, lifeless ballad that has hampered Keating's more recent output. Despite a few flashes of inspiration, Winter Songs' tasteful but bland production, and its overreliance on cover versions, offer little new to make it stand out in an already crowded seasonal market.
© Jon O'Brien /TiVo
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Sara Bareilles, ComposerLyricist - Tracy Ackerman, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Steve Lipson, Producer, Mixer, Guitar, Programmer, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Pete Murray, Keyboards, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Tony Cousins, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Isobel Griffiths, Orchestra Leader, AssociatedPerformer - Ash Soan, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Ronan Keating, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Graham Archer, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ingrid Michaelson, ComposerLyricist - Richard Cooper, Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2009 Polydor Ltd. (UK)
Tracy Ackerman, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Steve Lipson, Producer, Mixer, Guitar, Programmer, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Jennifer Nettles, ComposerLyricist - Pete Murray, Keyboards, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Tony Cousins, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Isobel Griffiths, Orchestra Leader, AssociatedPerformer - Ash Soan, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Ronan Keating, Vocalist, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Graham Archer, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Richard Cooper, Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2009 Polydor Ltd. (UK)
Tracy Ackerman, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Steve Lipson, Producer, Mixer, Guitar, Programmer, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - John Paul White, ComposerLyricist - Pete Murray, Keyboards, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Tony Cousins, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Isobel Griffiths, Orchestra Leader, AssociatedPerformer - Ash Soan, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Ronan Keating, MainArtist - Steve McEwan, ComposerLyricist - Graham Archer, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Richard Cooper, Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2009 Polydor Ltd. (UK)
Tracy Ackerman, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Steve Lipson, Producer, Mixer, Guitar, Programmer, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Pete Murray, Keyboards, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Paul Simon, ComposerLyricist - Tony Cousins, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Isobel Griffiths, Orchestra Leader, AssociatedPerformer - Ash Soan, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Ronan Keating, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Graham Archer, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Richard Cooper, Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2009 Polydor Ltd. (UK)
Tracy Ackerman, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Steve Lipson, Producer, Mixer, Guitar, Programmer, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Pete Murray, Keyboards, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Tony Cousins, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Isobel Griffiths, Orchestra Leader, AssociatedPerformer - Ash Soan, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Joni Mitchell, ComposerLyricist - Ronan Keating, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Graham Archer, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Richard Cooper, Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2009 Polydor Ltd. (UK)
Tracy Ackerman, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Steve Lipson, Producer, Mixer, Guitar, Programmer, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Pete Murray, Keyboards, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Tony Cousins, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Isobel Griffiths, Orchestra Leader, AssociatedPerformer - Ash Soan, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - P. Barry, ComposerLyricist - Ronan Keating, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Graham Archer, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Richard Cooper, Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2009 Polydor Ltd. (UK)
Tracy Ackerman, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Steve Lipson, Producer, Mixer, Programming, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Pete Murray, Keyboards, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Tony Cousins, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ash Soan, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Ronan Keating, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Graham Archer, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Stephen Gately, Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Katherine Kennicott Davis, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2009 Polydor Ltd. (UK)
Tracy Ackerman, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Steve Lipson, Producer, Mixer, Guitar, Programmer, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Pete Murray, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Bob Dylan, ComposerLyricist - Tony Cousins, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ash Soan, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Ronan Keating, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Graham Archer, Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2009 Polydor Ltd. (UK)
Tracy Ackerman, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Steve Lipson, Producer, Mixer, Guitar, Programmer, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Pete Murray, Keyboards, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Tony Cousins, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Isobel Griffiths, Orchestra Leader, AssociatedPerformer - Ash Soan, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Ronan Keating, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Graham Archer, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Dougie MacLean, ComposerLyricist - Richard Cooper, Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2009 Polydor Ltd. (UK)
Tracy Ackerman, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Steve Lipson, Producer, Mixer, Guitar, Programmer, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Pete Murray, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Tony Cousins, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ash Soan, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Franz Xaver Gruber, ComposerLyricist - Ronan Keating, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Graham Archer, Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2009 Polydor Ltd. (UK)
Tracy Ackerman, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Ian Thomas, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Steve Lipson, Producer, Mixer, Programming, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Pete Murray, Keyboards, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Tony Cousins, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Isobel Griffiths, Orchestra Contractor, AssociatedPerformer - Hugh Martin, ComposerLyricist - Ralph Blane, ComposerLyricist - Ronan Keating, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Graham Archer, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Alec Dankworth, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - John Parricelli, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - My Morning Jacket, Arranger, Work Arranger - Richard Cooper, Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2009 Polydor Ltd. (UK)
Roger Nichols, ComposerLyricist - Tony Cousins, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Neil Tucker, Programmer - Ronan Keating, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Paul Williams, ComposerLyricist - Craig Silvey, Producer, Mixer, Recording Engineer, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Billy Fuller, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Jason Hazeley, Keyboards, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Yolanda Quarty, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Jerry Crozier Cole, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Cliver Deamer, Drums, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2009 Polydor Ltd. (UK)
Album review
Released six months after his Mother's Day collection, Songs for My Mother, Ronan Keating's sixth solo studio album, Winter Songs, continues to occupy the seasonal MOR territory usually associated with the likes of easy listening crooners Daniel O'Donnell and Cliff Richard. Like his previous 2009 chart-topper, its 12 tracks, produced by Stephen Lipson (Annie Lennox), mainly consist of interpretations of songs which evoke particular special memories for the Boyzone frontman. Alongside orchestral versions of traditional festive standards "Silent Night" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," there are also understated reworkings of more contemporary material (Sara Bareilles' "Winter Song," Sugarland's "Stay"), and faithful renditions of hits from some rather unexpected sources, including Joni Mitchell ("River"), Simon & Garfunkel ("Homeward Bound") and Bob Dylan ("Ring Them Bells"). Of course, following the untimely death of bandmate Stephen Gately, Winter Songs is undoubtedly an important footnote in Boyzone's 15-year career. His backing vocals appearance on the atmospheric cover of Bing Crosby's "Little Drummer Boy" is his final studio recording, and unsurprisingly, provides the album's most emotionally stirring moment. It's a shame that the rest of the album doesn't spark the same kind of passion, as the likes of the Carpenters' "I Won't Last a Day Without You" and the jump blues classic "Caledonia," made famous by Van Morrison, are performed in the same uninspiring manner which indicates an artist simply going through the motions. Of the two original compositions, the Michael Bublé-esque "It's Only Christmas," is a melancholic, swirling, string-led number which would comfortably earn its place on any Yuletide compilation, but "Scars" is the kind of dull, lifeless ballad that has hampered Keating's more recent output. Despite a few flashes of inspiration, Winter Songs' tasteful but bland production, and its overreliance on cover versions, offer little new to make it stand out in an already crowded seasonal market.
© Jon O'Brien /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 12 track(s)
- Total length: 00:44:17
- Main artists: Ronan Keating
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Polydor Records
- Genre: Pop/Rock Pop
© 2009 Polydor Ltd. (UK) ℗ 2009 Polydor Ltd. (UK)
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