Irish pop act Westlife not only started a second week atop the U.K. singles chart yesterday (Nov. 6) with “You Raise Me Up” (S/Sony BMG), but now also wear the album chart crown after “Face To Face” entered at the top of the new survey. It’s the fifth of the group’s seven albums to hit No. 1 since its 1999 debut.
The group only reached No. 2 with its self-titled set that year, but went to the top with “Coast to Coast” (2000), “World of our Own” (2001), “Unbreakable — The Greatest Hits Vol. 1” (2002) and “Turnaround” (2003). Last year’s collection of swing standards, “Allow Us To Be Frank,” peaked at No. 3.
The debut of “Face To Face” prevented Robbie Williams from spending a second week at No. 1 with “Intensive Care” (Chrysalis). That album moved down to No. 2 as Rod Stewart’s “Thanks for the Memory — Great American Songbook Vol.4” (J/Sony BMG) entered at No. 3. Classical singer Katherine Jenkins made a fast start at No. 4 with “Living a Dream” (UCJ), her first top 10 appearance after peaks of No. 31 and No. 16 respectively last year with “Premiere” and “Second Nature.”
The highest new entry on the singles chart was “Can I Have It Like That” (Virgin) by Pharrell featuring Gwen Stefani, at No. 3. Craig David’s “Don’t Love You No More” (Warner Bros.) arrived at No. 4 to become his 11th U.K. top 10 single in his own name, a total achieved in the five and a half years since “Fill Me In” hit No. 1 in spring 2000. Goldfrapp’s “Number 1” (Mute) debuted at No. 9.
New at No. 11 was “We Laughed” (Cooking Vinyl) by Rosetta Life featuring Billy Bragg. The English singer/songwriter penned the music for lyrics written by Maxine Eggington, for the Rosetta Life charity which helps the terminally ill to express themselves through art. Eggington, who was dying of breast cancer, wrote the words for her teenage daughter to remember her by.
Interest in “We Laughed” grew steadily after it was played in September on national adult contemporary broadcaster BBC Radio 2. The single was produced by former Pretenders and Paul McCartney guitarist Robbie McIntosh, who also plays guitar and percussion on it. Bragg plays acoustic rhythm guitar, while vocals are by a singer known simply as Helena.
Veteran Scottish act Texas started at No. 13 with “Can’t Resist” (Mercury), the second single from its album “Red Book.” Eurythmics entered at No. 14 with “I’ve Got a Life (It’s the Only Thing That’s Mine)” (RCA), one of the two new songs on their new “Ultimate Collection” retrospective, which is released in the U.K. today.
Also charting with a new single from a compilation at No. 15 was Darren Hayes of Australia’s Savage Garden, whose “So Beautiful” (Columbia) comes from the group’s “Greatest Hits” set. The final new entry in the top 20 was “Grand Unification (Part 1)” (Universal Island) by Fightstar, the band featuring Charlie Simpson, formerly of now-defunct boy band Busted.
Williams went straight to the top of Billboard’s European Top 100 Albums chart with “Intensive Care,” while Sugababes’ “Push the Button” (Universal Island) moves 2-1 on the Eurochart Hot 100 Singles survey. The track is currently in the top 5 in Norway, Germany, Denmark and Switzerland, and No. 1 in Austria.
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