Boyzone

The Irish group came together in 1993, with Ronan Keating, Stephen Gately, Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch and Keith Duffy forming the familiar line-up. “Love Me for a Reason” introduced them to a broad audience before Said and Done appeared in 1995. Their early sound put a particular emphasis on the ballad and on the recognisable character of the lead voices.

A Different Beat followed in 1996. “Words” and the title track offered different sides of the group’s musical identity, from an established composition given a new vocal setting to a more rhythmically marked pop arrangement. The continuity was in the singing: the production could change while the phrasing remained immediately approachable.

Where We Belong in 1998 included “No Matter What”, a song whose carefully rising structure suits the group’s straightforward emotional manner. By Request in 1999 then brought the first major run of recordings into one place, making a useful entrance for a listener who knows the choruses before the album titles.

For a fuller picture, the early albums are worth hearing around those singles. Familiar material gives Boyzone an opportunity to show how much the weight of a phrase can change with the singer and the surrounding harmony. Their best performances are effective without pretending to be mysterious. The voice moves towards a chorus the listener can already sense coming, and the satisfaction lies in the warmth and exactness of the arrival.