Review: Ronan Keating - Songs For My Mother

Ahead of Mother's Day each year albums designed to appeal to your mum trot out in stores around the country. As well as dabbling with a Boyzone reunion, 2009 is the year for Ronan Keating to make his mainstream comeback starting with a release of 'Songs For My Mother'.

This, his fifth studio album, is a collection of covers recorded by Ronan with a live orchestra. It's no rapidly chosen covers album though; instead it's a group of songs Ronan remembers his mother, who he lost to cancer at the height of his success in 1998, listening to throughout his childhood.

Covering songs as cherished as Don McClean's 'Vincent' and Joni Mitchell's 'Both Sides Now' is always going to aggravate fans of the original but on the whole, Ronan manages to create careful versions filled to the brink with emotion. Bob Dylan's 'Make You Feel My Love' crackles with tears, popular Celtic folk songs such as 'Carrickfergus' and 'The Wild Mountain Thyme' are tender and the orchestral arrangement of Cyndi Lauper's 'Time After Time' adds an extra layer of euphoria coupled with the sadness of the lyrics.

Only a cold heart could refuse to be moved by the gentle 'Mama's Arms'. Originally performed by American singer-songwriter Joshua Kadison, the heart tugging lyrics must have been hard to Ronan to sing, his voice cracking on the beautiful line 'all you want is mama's arms'. The mood is only ruined somewhat by the suddenly jolly 'Suspicious Minds' and echo-heavy cheese fest cover of R Kelly's 'I Believe I Can Fly'.

It would be easy to thrown scorn on 'Songs For My Mother' but instead it's a sweet, and surprisingly enjoyable compilation of gorgeous songs. Perfect to show your mother how much you care.

Originally for Orange Music