IT has been said that Mark Chapman, the guy who shot John Lennon, is possibly the most hated man on this planet. And if that's the case, then Westlife are in imminent danger of becoming the most hated band on the planet, for it is they who are threatening the Fab Four's long standing record for most number one singles (or something like that!).

Now nobody seriously considers Westlife as having anything like the talent The Beatles had (except of course their tens of thousands of pre-pubescent fans), so just what is going on in the music industry? Well I could write a whole thesis on the subject, but I've no intention of doing that here. All I'll say is that music appears to have lost its integrity.

Music today has just become a means to get rich quick. That's not to say The Beatles or The Stones didn't want financial success, but at least they made an effort, When Lennon sang 'In My Life', you knew he meant it, whereas when Westlife sing 'My Love' you know they most certainly don't. Its all about integrity you see...The Supremes, Dusty Springfield and The Temptations had it, whereas The Spice Girls, Billy Piper, and Boyzone (remember them?) don't...and the 'pop' end of the music industry couldn't care less.

What's the answer then? In many other respects music is in a healthier state than it ever was, there's more music (and more diverse music) available at your average record store now than at any other time. Maybe we should just abandon the 'chart' philosophy altogether, or at least refuse to classify album's such as this as being 'music' at all. Maybe we could introduce a 'kids' chart in which album's like this could stay number one forever, or at least until a prettier, younger bunch of boys turned up. Or maybe the charts no longer matter. Answers on a postcard please (or email).

Anyway, this is a Westlife album review, and here endeth today's lesson.