| Where We Are | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 27 November 2009 | |||
| Recorded | July 2008 – October 2009 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 52:05 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | ||||
| Westlife chronology | ||||
| ||||
Where We Are is the ninth studio album by Irishboy bandWestlife. It was released on 27 November 2009 in Ireland and on 30 November 2009 in the UK throughS Records,RCA Records andSony Music.Where We Are is the group's first album following a hiatus in 2008. This album was preceded by thelead single "What About Now" (a cover of theDaughtry song) and it was released on 23 October 2009[1] as adigital download a day later as aCD single.[2]
The group collaborated with numerous notable producers for the album, notablyRyan Tedder of thepop rock bandOneRepublic,Jim Jonsin,Greg Wells andSam Watters, among others.Where We Are is also notably the first Westlife album not to haveSteve Mac andWayne Hector produce or write any of the songs.
The album was met with mixed reviews, although it was still commercially successful, debuting at number two at theUK Albums Chart and got 2× Platinum Certification in theUnited Kingdom which sold more than 600 000 records. Despite the high peak, it was the first Westlife album not to peak at number one since their 2004 albumAllow Us to Be Frank peaked at number three. This is the 7th top-selling album of 2009 inIreland.
The recording process of the album started in LA on 1 July 2009. The first song they recorded was the ballad, "I’ll See You Again"".[3] "I'll See You Again" was recorded by Ross at Metropolis Studios.[4] For their first single "What About Now" Feehily toldThe Daily Mirror, "We wanted the first single from our new album to be somewhere between the Westlife sound our fans know and love, and the new direction we're heading in."[5] The song "Shadows" was written byRyan Tedder andAJ McLean for theBackstreet Boys' seventh albumThis Is Us but was not selected for inclusion. It was subsequently purchased by record label bossSimon Cowell forLeona Lewis's second albumEcho but it was later decided that the song was more suited to a boyband and thus given Westlife to record.[6]
The album also contains an "in memory of" section to Nikky Byrne and Kevin Egan, the fathers of Westlife membersNicky Byrne andKian Egan.
On 25 October 2009, during theX Factor results show, Westlife performed "What About Now". It was released online the same day.[7] On 26 October they performed onGMTV and were interviewed in addition to hosting a webchat, with a further interview onThe One Show on 30 October 2009.[8] They will also perform atBBC Children in Need on 20 November and be interviewed on 26 November and 4 December onAlan Carr's Chatty Man andThe Friday Show respectively.[8] They are also doing radio promos in major cities of UK and Ireland from 24 October–November including an interview onBBC Radio One.[9] TV dates were announced later.[10][11] Following a Swedish promotional tour with performance onSwedish Idol.[12] On 27 November 2009, Westlife performed on infamous UK television shows likePaul O' Grady Show andThe Late Late Toy Show.[13]
On 1 February 2010, their official website was revised. They called it as a first phase of 2010 assault.[14] On 10 February 2010, they are invited to Jonathan Ross show for an interview to be televised on 12 February 2010.[15] First week of February, they embarked on a promotional tour of Germany and guested on theOliver Pocher Show on the third week of February.[16]
"How to Break a Heart" was released as a promotional single on 10 March 2010 in some countries.[17] They got the chance to perform withBoyzone for a track on theStephen Gately Show in Ireland.[18] They were invited to perform on Sun City Super Bowl Show onSouth Africa to be held on 19 March and Fashion Kicks 2010 on 13 April.[19][20]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic Rovi Music |    [21][22] |
| BBC Music | (favorable)[23] |
| The Times UK | [24] |
| Daily Express | [25] |
| Digital Spy | [26] |
| Entertainment Ireland | [27] |
| London Evening Standard | [28] |
| MSN UK | [29] |
| The Observer | (unfavorable)[30] |
| Virgin Media | [31] |
Where We Are received mostly unfavorable reviews, with most reviewers criticizing the album's similar music style, as well as the fact that there is little difference from their previous material.
Robert Spellman ofDaily Express gave the album two stars out of five, saying that "all the songs sound alike and deal with heartbreak."[25] Lauren Murphy ofEntertainment Ireland gave a similar score, stating that "as maudlin and one-dimensional as any of their recent material", although she praised Feehily's vocals.[27] Rick Pearson ofLondon Evening Standard called the album's songs "bland" and "uninspiring", concluding that "Where We Are finds Westlife exactly where they were at the beginning of the decade."[28] Ben Chalk ofMSN UK stated that the album is "aimed squarely at the sort of person who buys one album a year, usually at Christmas, to listen to in the car."[29] Hugh Montgomery ofThe Observer criticized the album's "usual...over-production, ersatz yearning and (anti-)climactic key changes."[30] Alex Fletcher ofDigital Spy pannedWhere We Are, saying that "there isn't a drop of passion, genuine emotion or soul to be found anywhere."[26] Ian Gittins ofVirgin Media gave the album one star out of five, saying that "The only emotion...is a sinking sense of déjà vu."[31]
Jason Birchmeier ofAllMusic andRovi Music gave the album three and a half stars out of five, noting the group's usual musical structure, although he praised the album for containing "many first-rate songs...and the production is polished to perfection."[21][22] Mike Diver ofBBC Music gaveWhere We Are a favorable review, referring to many "surprises" contained within the album, although he notes that "their style has barely changed."[23]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "What About Now" | David Hodges,Ben Moody, Joshua Hartzler | Steve Robson | 4:11 |
| 2. | "How to Break a Heart" | James Scheffer,Louis Biancaniello,Sam Watters | Biancaniello,Jim Jonsin, Watters | 4:04 |
| 3. | "Leaving" | Carl Falk,Bryn Christopher,Steven Lee Olsen | Carl Falk,Quiz & Larossi[a] | 3:57 |
| 4. | "Shadows" | Ryan Tedder,AJ McLean | Tedder | 4:01 |
| 5. | "Talk Me Down" | Simon Petty | Steve Anderson | 4:01 |
| 6. | "Where We Are" | Tedder,Savan Kotecha | Tedder | 3:57 |
| 7. | "The Difference" | Scott Cutler,Anne Preven,Brian Kennedy Seals | Cutler, Preven, Kennedy Seals | 3:30 |
| 8. | "As Love Is My Witness" | Conner Reeves, Jonathan Shorten | Martin Terefe | 4:07 |
| 9. | "Another World" | Steve Booker,Sophie Delila | Booker | 3:16 |
| 10. | "No More Heroes" | Kotecha,Emanuel Kiriakou,Lindy Robbins | Kiriakou | 3:58 |
| 11. | "Sound of a Broken Heart" | Wayne Wilkins, Biancaniello, Watters,John Reid | Biancaniello, Watters, Wilkins | 3:51 |
| 12. | "Reach Out" | Mark Feehily,Shaznay Lewis,Chris Braide | Greg Wells | 3:56 |
| 13. | "I'll See You Again" | Andy Hill,Shelly Poole | Kiriakou, Hill[a] | 5:17 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "You Raise Me Up" (live at Croke Park) | Brendan Graham,Rolf Løvland | Decca | 5:00 |
Notes
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Ireland (IRMA)[49] | 3× Platinum | 45,000^ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[50] | Gold | 7,500^ |
| Sweden (GLF)[51] | Gold | 20,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[52] | 2× Platinum | 600,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Country / Region | Date | Format | Label | Catalogue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 27 November 2009 | CD,Digital download | RCA Records | 88697611272 |
| Philippines | 28 November 2009 | Sony Music Entertainment | ||
| New Zealand | 30 November 2009 | |||
| Norway[53] | ||||
| South Africa[54] | ||||
| United Kingdom[55] | S/Syco Music | |||
| Hong Kong[56] | Sony Music Entertainment | |||
| South Korea[57] | 1 December 2009 | |||
| Europe[58] | 2 December 2009 | |||
| Finland[59] | ||||
| Malaysia[60] | ||||
| Sweden[61] | ||||
| Netherlands[62] | 3 December 2009 | Sony Music | ||
| Taiwan | 4 December 2009 | |||
| France[63] | 8 December 2009 | B002RHP88S | ||
| Japan[64] | 23 December 2009 | Sony Music Japan | SICP2509 | |
| Thailand[65] | 21 January 2010 | Sony Music | 88697611272 | |
| Australia[66] | 22 January 2010 | |||
| China[67] | 25 January 2010 | |||
| Austria[68] | 5 February 2010 | |||
| Germany[69] | ||||
| Switzerland[70] | ||||
| Mexico[71] | 15 March 2010 | 886976112721 | ||
| Czech Republic[72] | 5 April 2010 | 289173 | ||
| Slovakia[73] |
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