While its cover art, which features a stubbly
Ronan Keating posing in a white sleeveless vest, suggests that the
Boyzone frontman has undergone either a
George Michael-esque reinvention or a rock star makeover, his third solo album,
Turn It On, heads even further toward the middle-of-the-road country-pop territory that he previously hinted at through his chart-topping cover of
Garth Brooks' "If Tomorrow Never Comes." The all-star songwriting team of his two previous releases,
Ronan and
Destination, which included
New Radicals'
Gregg Alexander and
Diane Warren, is gone, and in its place is
Keating himself, who co-wrote all but two of its 14 tracks alongside the likes of
Steve Robson,
Wayne Hector, and
Steve Mac (
Westlife), giving an indication of the disappointingly regressive direction
Keating is heading. Packed full of easy listening acoustic midtempo tracks, the likes of the Latin-flavored "First Time," the mellow "She Gets Me Inside," and the rootsy "On My Way" are all produced with sophistication but lack any of the spark that "Life Is a Rollercoaster" and "Lovin' Each Day" had in abundance, while anodyne covers of
Kenny Rogers' "She Believes (In Me)" and
Terence Trent D'Arby's "Let Her Down Easy" do little to change the monotone sound that dominates the majority of the album. However, when
Keating attempts something a little more upbeat,
Turn It On becomes much more interesting. "Turn It on Again" is an infectious slice of FM rock, co-penned by
Ricky Ross, which is just as driving and melodic as
Ross' '80s material with
Deacon Blue; the Bryan Adams-esque "Back in the Day" allows
Keating the opportunity to showcase his newfound husky vocals; and the captivating "Last Thing on My Mind" is a surprisingly subtle duet with
LeAnn Rimes that cleverly meets in the middle of their increasingly near-colliding musical paths.
Keating claims that
Turn It On is the chance "to see the real me," but its overreliance on melancholic ballads and notable absence of the feel-good factor of his previous output suggest that maybe the real
Ronan needs to lighten up a little. ~ Jon O'Brien