The Record Music Magazine

BRIAN MCFADDEN - IRISH SON - SONY & BMG MUSIC
Record Rating: ***

Westlife's first seven singles debuted at number one, followed by another five UK chart toppers, within four and a half years. Brian McFadden was part of the original Westlife line-up before he left the boy band last year in an attempt to kick start his own solo career.

The result is his swan song debut – Irish Son. The comparisons with Robbie Williams are inevitable - backing singer leaves five piece boy band at their peak and gets together with song writer Guy Chambers for a solo career. After a buoyant start with the albums first single Real To Me reaching #1 in late 2004, things seem promising. The eleven tracks are less boy band pop than Ronan Keating's solo debut for one, and less cynical than the first Robbie Williams release. After splitting from one of Ireland's most successful boy bands, Brian McFadden drops the manufactured image, the fake 'y' from his name and tells us that he’s starting afresh with this album. The subjects are diverse – from the title track Irish Son highlighting his disappointments of being raised within the Catholic Church to his guilt at exposing his daughters to divorce in the track Sorry Love Daddy. The best track though without a doubt is Almost Here - a duet between Brian and Australian pop starlet Delta Goodrem. It’s already in the top ten as you sit here and read this.

And that song will probably make him, if he’s ever going to be, a big name. The 24 year old, who recently separated from his wife (ex Atomic Kitten singer Kerry Katona) this week sparked speculation that he is to wed his now new girlfriend Delta Goodrem after she was spotted flashing a ring on her engagement finger. Irish Son is nothing exceptional; we’ll have to wait for the second album to know quite where he falls.

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