Even if you're a confirmed musical snob who thinks the only good boyband is a dead boyband, you have to give D-Side full marks for effort. After years of struggling around the Irish rubber chicken circuit, the Dubliners have re-located to the UK, had a hit single and now finally get around to releasing their debut album. Packed with vigorous R'n'B tunes, high-pitched harmonies and some downright soppy ballads, it's a fairly typical representation of the genre - which may just be D-Side's biggest problem. In 2004 there's every indication that the boyband boom is past its peak - and with one Westlife already out there, the world may not feel that it needs another. At 17 tracks long, Stronger Together is an impressive display of D-Side's versatility, as well as a tribute to their perseverance. But if these likeable lads are to have a long-term future, they need to find something that will help them stand out from the crowd.

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