Waiting for Keating

Here is good news for all Ronan Keating fans. They will finally get the chance to hear the Irish pop star perform When You Say Nothing at All live. That is the beautiful love song that was so effectively put to use in the soundtrack of the motion picture Notting Hill, which became such a huge hit. The recording was also the carrier single of Keating’s self-titled album, that has already sold 4.4 million copies and which instantly cemented his reputation as a solo artist.

The former Boyzone hits local shores with Ronan Keating–Destination Manila, a special one-night only performance at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao on Thursday, Feb. 13. The Valentine presentation is part of Keating’s Asian tour in connection with the promo of his newest solo album which is also titled Destination. He will also be visiting Singapore, Jakarta, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Brunei and Hong Kong.

As all Boyzone fans surely remember, this is not Ronan’s first visit to the Philippines. The group which popularized tunes like Picture of You, Words, Father and Son, No Matter What and many others was in the country in February six years ago for a show at the Limits Disco to promote what turned out to be its final album A Different Beat. The group returned later that year for full-blown concerts in Cebu and also at the Araneta Coliseum. This time around though, Keating will be on his own.

Aside from When You Say Nothing at All, the love song that love struck Pinoys will surely expect Keating to perform will be his version of the Garth Brooks standard If Tomorrow Never Comes from the Destination album. While it is true that Ronan does upbeat tunes quite well, fans really like him best for his soulful ballads. His take on If Tomorrow Never Comes and his own composition The Long Goodbye, a hit in the country charts for the duo Brooks and Dunn, are the big winners in his new album. One cannot help but think of these songs as having the same sort of kilig impact as When You Say Nothing at All, which was originally a hit for bluegrass artist Alison Krause.

Destination is Keating’s second solo album. The first one, titled Ronan Keating came out in 2000. It includes the number one selling singles When You Say Nothing at All and Life is a Roller Coaster plus the utterly sexy The Way You Make Me Feel. Boyzone was still active at the time but Keating and the other members were already actively pursuing solo efforts. Keating’s initial solo turn was richly rewarded. It proved that fans are receptive to the idea of listening to his music even without the other members of Boyzone.

Destination echoes the same formula used in his first solo album. It sounds like Boyzone because of Keating’s vocals but has an appealing mix of R&B and country liberally spiced with rock that is his very own. In some instances he even goes for the unexpected like the surprisingly rousing You’re Picking Me Up, or the cool California sound of Come Be My Baby and the soaring dramatic ballad Time for Love.

The other cuts included in Destination, and which he will perform in his Araneta concert are I Love the Way We Do, Love Won’t Work If We Donít Try, Lovin Each Day, My One Thing That’s Real, Blown Away, As Much as I Can Give You Girl, and Joy and Pain.

Keating was born to a poor family in Dublin on March 3, 1977, the youngest of five children. He is only 25 years old. His success with Boyzone, the biggest Irish boy group of all time, the biggest British boy group since Take That and which sold more than 12 million albums, led to the charmed life he has today. He is married and has one son and a daughter. He has homes in Ireland and Britain. Aside from singing, he is also most in-demand as host for big events like the Eurovision Song Contest, MTV Awards and the Miss World Beauty Pageant. He is also the manager of another very successful boy group Westlife.

Ronan Keating–Destination Manila benefits the Bantay Bata Foundation. It is brought in part by MTV, ABS-CBN, MCA Universal and Ratsky. Tickets to the show are now available at Ticketnet outlets located at SM branches and at the Araneta Coliseum box office.