Review – Wonderland – Wonderland

The masterminds behind Wonderland, pop guru Louis Walsh and Westlife’s Kian Egan, have some serious pop pedigree, and in putting together Wonderland, may just have struck collective gold, with a talented and beautiful five-piece girlband who could really set the world alight with their clear talent in the coming months. They have nurtured them since 2008, ready to set them on the world this year, and with that amount of preparation, you would hope that their eponymous debut release would be something pretty special.

On first listen, there is some clear potential with this group too, and Wonderland as an album has some great tracks on it. Focusing on pop influences, and sticking to that formula throughout, means that you can focus on the quality of the vocals, and they are straight out of the top drawer. Sure the production is slick, but you would expect nothing less than perfection from a pop record, especially with the track records of the bands creators.

However, the five girls do make their mark and prove that they can sure as hell sing, and come across really strong throughout. Not A Love Song is a strong opener, but for me, they have better songs across the record. However, this is one of the first songs that they recorded, and like Nothing Moves Me Anymore, they are good tracks, but there is better on here.

The second track, Starlight, is an early highlight, with a divine hook and chorus, which is unforgettable from the very first listen. Other highlights of the bands debut come in the form of In Your Arms, Emergency, and the absolutely incredible Why Here Why Now. Everything else in between is a nice listen, but cannot live up to the greatness of the standout tracks, and it does seem to tail off a little towards the end, but by then, it really doesn’t matter, as the listener has well and truly been converted. A cover of Lady Antebellum’s seminal Need You Now is another inspired choice, and although you would not normally expect to find a cover on a debut record, the inclusion of this here is a well thought out move.

Showing real potential, these girls should have an insanely bright future. I can’t wait to see how they progress.

A really enjoyable pop album.

7.5/10