If you've ever wondered what you'd get if you crossed Andrew Lloyd Webber with Jim Steinman then look no further for the answer - as unlikely as it seems, in 1998 the pair collaborated on a musical version of the 1961 Hayley Mills vehicle 'Whistle Down The Wind'. Whilst I'm familiar with the film (a staple of Sunday afternoon TV in my childhood), I can't own up to knowing anything about the musical other than this song which, if it's typical of the whole, is example enough of Lloyd Webber's influence being sufficiently Borg-like to curb any rock star excesses and make even a Jim Steinman dance to his tune. Literally. Which is just as well - while Boyzone were never going to make a 'Bat Out Of Hell' sound convincing, they did know their way around a ballad. After confessing that I don't know where the song falls within the narrative of the musical, I can report that the beauty of 'No Matter What' is that it doesn't matter; the 'me and you against the world' theme is drafted broadly enough to appeal to everyman. Not only that, with the ever irritating Ronan Keating sharing lead vocal duties, his tremulous over sincerity is tempered to give appeal to those with a Y chromosome too with no embarrassment. But then I'm guessing it would have anyway; despite still undeniably 'Boyzone', both Steinman and Lloyd Webber are savvy enough to ensure their song is the star turn here and the melody/lyrics are not sacrificed on the altar of boy band personality. Like the best show songs, it serves to give 'No Matter What' a solidity and presence and I'm guessing it will be the one song of Boyzone's that will endure.
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