''Turnaround'' is the fourth studio album by Irish

boy band A boy band is loosely defined as a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform Love song, love songs marketed towards girls and young ...

Westlife Westlife is an Irish pop vocal group formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1998. The group currently consists of members Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan, and Nicky Byrne. Brian McFadden was a member, until he left in 2004. The group temporarily di ...

, released on 24 November 2003 by

BMG BMG may refer to: Organizations * Music publishing companies: ** Bertelsmann Music Group, a 1987–2008 division of Bertelsmann that was purchased by Sony on October 1, 2008 *** Sony BMG, a 2004–2008 joint venture of Bertelsmann and Sony that wa ...

. The first single released was the upbeat track, "

Hey Whatever "Hey Whatever" is a song by Irish boy band Westlife. It was released on 15 September 2003 as the lead single from their fourth studio album, ''Turnaround (Westlife album), Turnaround'' (2003). The song is a re-written version of "Rainbow Zephyr" ...

". The next single was a cover of the

Barry Manilow Barry Manilow (born Barry Alan Pincus; June 17, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter with a career that spans seven decades. His hit recordings include "Could It Be Magic", " Somewhere Down the Road", " Mandy", "I Write the Songs", " Can ...

hit, "

Mandy Mandy or Mandie may refer to: People * Mandy (name), a female given name and nickname * Iván Mándy (1918-1995), Hungarian writer * Mark Mandy (born 1972), Irish retired high jumper * Philip Mandie (born 1942), a former judge on the Supreme Cou ...

". The band's version earned them their 12th UK number one and an Irish record of the year award. " Obvious", an original song, was the third and final single released from the album. ''Turnaround'' was also the last album to be recorded with their full original lineup with member

Brian McFadden Brian Nicholas McFadden (born 12 April 1980) is an Irish pop singer and television presenter who rose to fame in 1998 as a member of the Irish boy band Westlife. Following his departure from the group in 2004, McFadden released his debut solo ...

, who left the band in March the following year. The album was the 23rd best selling album of 2003 in the UK. The album was re-released in a box set on 25 January 2005 with their debut album, ''

''. The album received favourable reviews from music critics, while it attained commercial success, topping the UK and Ireland charts, while reaching the top-ten in many countries.

Background and McFadden's departure

After three successful albums, ''

'' (1999), '' Coast to Coast'' (2000) and ''

World of Our Own ''World of Our Own'' is the third studio album recorded by Irish boy band Westlife. It was released through RCA Records on 12 November 2001. This is their third album release under RCA and Sony Music. It was also the band's third album to be re ...

'' (2001), the band released their first

greatest hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

album, '' Unbreakable: The Greatest Hits Volume 1'', in 2002, amidst rumours of a split. After the greatest hits, the band released ''Turnaround'' as their fourth studio album, on 23 December 2003.

Kian Egan Kian John Francis Egan (born 29 April 1980) is an Irish Pop music, pop singer, songwriter and musician, best known as a member of pop group Westlife. Westlife has released twelve albums, embarked on thirteen world tours, and won numerous awards ...

said, "the passion and love we have for Westlife is still 100%", and the group felt that ''Turnaround'' is their best album yet. ''Turnaround'' was the band's final album with lead vocalist

, who left the group three weeks prior to embarking on their fourth world tour, stating that, "It's hard to juggle two lives when you've got a family." He subsequently re-emerged as a solo artist and professed disgruntlement over the requirements associated with boy band captivity. When interviewed by Wil Marlow of ''The Journal'', McFadden said, "I was standing there trying to sing a song like "Mandy" and be all emotional when I've never even met a Mandy."

Music

"Turnaround" is a pop album, with many songs being "down-tempo" ballads, mixing with plenty of "upbeat" tracks, as well. The album features 2 covers and 11 new tracks. It features writing contribution from

Wayne Hector Wayne Anthony Hector is a British songwriter who is best known for his work with pop artists such as Nicki Minaj, One Direction, the Wanted, Toše Proeski and Olly Murs. He co-wrote seven of Westlife's number one singles, including "World of O ...

Steve Mac Steve McCutcheon (born 15 January 1972), known professionally as Steve Mac, is a British record producer, songwriter and musician. A multi-award-winning producer, he is one of the most prolific songwriters and record producers in modern British ...

Diane Warren Diane Eve Warren (born September 7, 1956) is an American songwriter. She has received several awards including a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, three ''Billboard'' Music Awards and an Honorary Academy Award. Wa ...

Andreas Carlsson Andreas Carlsson (; born 3 April 1973) is a Swedish music producer and pop songwriter. Biography Carlsson was part of the Cheiron Studios team until the studio was closed down in 2000. In January 2001, former Cheiron-members Andreas Carlsson, Kri ...

and others. The album kicks off with "

", who first hit the charts, as "Brandy", 32 years ago before

renamed it "Mandy" and took it to number 11 in 1975. "

" is an upbeat pop song with

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

influence, with its "shun-the-world-and-find-your-bliss" message, "Why don't you liberate your mind / Let your colour fill the sky," the sing. " Obvious" is a soft ballad, with backing vocals that sound "either wistful or magical," according to Peter Fawthrop of

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

. Eamonn McCuske of ''The Digital Fix'' commented that the song "bears similarity to

Take That Take That are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The group currently consists of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. The original line-up also featured Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Barlow is the group's lead singe ...

's Back For Good. "When a Woman Loves a Man" was considered a "classic Westlife ballad," while the title track "Turnaround" has

funky Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mid ...

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

, 80s influences, being called "heavily synthesised."

contributed to the ballad "I Did It for You," while "Thank You" is another "upbeat" track. "

To Be with You "To Be with You" is a song by American rock band Mr. Big, released in November 1991 as the second single from their second album, '' Lean into It'' (1991). The ballad reached number one on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for three weeks and toppe ...

is a re-recording of the Mr. Big song. It was named a "faithful" and "nevertheless adequate" cover. "Home" was considered a "soaring ballad." Final track "What Do They Know" closes the album off, tying all the styles together.

Critical reception

''Turnaround'' received generally favourable reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

. Peter Fawthrop of ''

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

'' gave the album a rating of 3 out of 5 stars, writing that " Turnaround involves a pebble toss toward rock, and it's all the better for it. If it had gone all the way, if it had found a producer willing to risk fortunes on morphing a pop group into a rock group, something remarkable may have happened. As it stands, it is a notch above typical, but only a notch." Linda McGee of

RTÉ.ie RTÉ.ie is the brand name and home of Irish broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ)'s online activities, located at the URL https://www.rte.ie/. The site began publishing on 26 May 1996. According to RTÉ, it operates on an entirely com ...

gave the album 3 out of 5 stars, commenting, "Refreshingly, much of the material reveals a grittier side to the band that was never evident before. By finding a formula that was capable of sticking the distance, Westlife have defied the odds by making it to their fifth album. Few would have thought it. Vocally, 'Turnaround' is faultless. Commercially, you've got to hand it to the lads on a market sewn up." Clea Marshall of ''NZ Girl'' called it "upbeat, catchy and slick," writing, "this album is quintessential Westlife. Easy on the ears, 'Turnaround' is sure to bring a smile to any pop fan's face." Jack Smith of

BBC Music BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio o ...

called it "average," declaring that, "The title Westlife chose is lost on us because this seems like more of the same from the puppy-dog-eyed five piece." Eamonn McCusker of ''The Digital Fix'' commented that the songs "all sound somewhat alike with there being precious little to get excited about across any of the thirteen tracks here."

Commercial performance

''Turnaround'' debuted at number-one on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

, becoming the band's fourth album to debut at the top. It spent 21 weeks on the chart. It also debuted at number-one on the

Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA). The charts were previously compiled on behalf of IRMA by Chart-Track, and have been compiled by the ...

, spending a further week at the top. It spent a total of 18 weeks inside the chart. The album was also successful in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

, where it debuted at number 10, on 28 November 2003. Later, it climbed to number 6, while in its third week, it peaked at number 5, on 12 December 2003. In

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

, the album debuted at number 4 on the

Danish Albums Chart Hitlisten, also known as Tracklisten, is a Danish top 40 record chart that is updated every Thursday midnight on the website hitlisten.nu. The weekly Danish singles chart Track Top-40 combines the 40 best-selling tracks from legal music downloads ...

on 5 December 2003. It spent 16 weeks on the chart. In

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, the album debuted and peaked at number 42 on the

Austrian Albums Chart Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

, on 7 December 2003. Later, it fell to number 63, while in its third week, it climbed to number 53. After weeks fluctuating the charts, the album jumped from number 73 to number 60. After the jump, it climbed to number 48. It spent 10 weeks on the chart.

Promotion

Singles

The album's lead-single "

" attained success, reaching number 4 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, therefore becoming the lowest-charting single from the album. It eventually was a success around the world, reaching number 2 in

and Ireland, number 5 in

and the top-forty in some other countries. The album's second single, "

", topped the

, becoming their 12th number one hit on the UK charts. The song also topped the

Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are bas ...

and was a success in Europe, reaching the top-ten in

and

and the top-twenty in

, Germany and

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. The third single, " Obvious," was also a success, reaching number 2 in Ireland, number 3 in the UK and number 7 in

, while also charting in many countries.

The Turnaround Tour 2004

Track listing

Credits

*Arranged By trings
Dave Arch (tracks: 1, 3, 8)
Henrik And Ulf Jansson (tracks: 4, 5)
Tue Røh* (track 12)
Wil Malone (tracks: 6, 11) *Bass:
Andreas "Quiz" Romdhane (track 4)
Steve Pearce (tracks: 2, 3, 6, 8 to 11) *Drums:

Brett Morgan Jerome Morgan (November 1944 – 1 November 2007), better known as Barry Morgan, was a British drummer for Blue Mink, CCS and other bands. He was the owner of Morgan Studios. Personal life and career Morgan was born in London, England in Novembe ...

(track 3)
Chris Laws (tracks: 1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 11)
Ian Thomas (tracks: 1, 6 to 8, 10, 11)
Ralph Salmins (track 2) *Engineer:
Chris Laws (tracks: 1 to 3, 6 to 11, 13)
Daniel Pursey (tracks: 1, 2)
Lee McCutcheon (track 1)
Robin Sellars (tracks: 1 to 3, 6, 7, 11, 13)
Steve Price (tracks: 6, 11) *Engineer ssistant
Daniel Pursey (tracks: 1, 3, 6 to 11)
Mat Bartram (tracks: 6, 11)
Steve Mustarde (tracks: 6, 7, 10, 11) *Guitar uitars
Esbjörn Öhrwal (track 4, 5)
Fridrik 'Frizzy' Karlsson (tracks: 1, 2, 6, 8 to 11, 13)
Jonas Krag (track 12)
Paul Gendler (tracks: 3, 7, 8, 10, 11) *Keyboards:
David Stenmarck (track 3)
Joe Belmaati (track 12)
Nick Jarl (track 3)
Steve Mac (tracks: 2, 6, 7, 9, 11)
Tue Røh* (track 12) *Leader

tring Tring is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Dacorum, Hertfordshire, England. It is situated in a gap passing through the Chiltern Hills, classed as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, from Central London. Tring is linked to ...

Gavin Wright (tracks: 3, 6, 8, 11) *Mastered By:
Bob Ludwig (tracks: 2, 6 to 9)
Jacko (tracks: 1, 4, 5, 10 to 13)
Tim Young (track 3) *Mixed By:
Bernard Löhr (tracks: 4, 5)
Bob Clearmountain (tracks: 2, 8 to 10)
Cutfather And Joe* (tracks: 12)
Mads Nilson (tracks: 12)
Stefan Glaumann (tracks: 3)
Steve Mac (tracks: 1, 6, 7, 11, 13) *Mixed By ssistant
Kevin Harp (tracks: 2, 8 to 10) *Organ ammond
Dave Arch (tracks: 2, 3, 8, 10) *Percussion:
Frank Ricotti (tracks: 1, 6, 8, 10, 11) *Piano:
Andreas Romdhane (track 5)
Dave Arch (track 3)
Kristoffer Nergårdh (track 5)
Stefan Jernsthal (track 4)
Steve Mac (tracks: 1, 2, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

References

External links

Official Westlife Website
{{Authority control 2003 albums Westlife albums Albums produced by Cutfather Albums produced by Steve Mac RCA Records albums Sony BMG albums