Robbie Williams - Rudebox
(2006)

Review by Sean Lynch

What do you do when you're the biggest Pop Star in the world and you could quite happily record yourself taking a wizz, knowing quite well it's a good chance of still hitting number one across the globe? You record "Rudebox".

There has been alot of murmur surrounding the, admittedly rushed, release of Pop King Robbie Williams' eighth studio album (it was certified platinum before it was released due to pre-orders of over 70,000 copies). After the critically (and somewhat commercially) panned "Intensive Care", Robbie made it clear from the get-go that he was ready to make the album that he wanted to make - and not just the standard rock/pop/power ballads which he has been churning out on a regular basis. 

In fairness though, those power ballads are what made him the biggest in the world, and as much as I hate to admit it, even I don't mind camping it up and singing along to Let Me Entertain You or Sing Sing Sing in the privacy of my own car.

The first single Rudebox (which reached #4 in the UK Singles chart) was hailed a flop by many. It's unusual beat and the added abnormality of Williams doing his best at white-boy rapping (perhaps not quite in the same league as K-Fed) seemed to upset quite a few of the Robbie diehards, yet the new and improved RW managed to reach Number 1 in most countries. And to be honest, I don't mind it. But for those out there who weren't fans of the re-invented Williams, well - you might be better off grabbing the latest Keith Urban album (and getting as plastered as him as well) - because the Robbie you knew has well and truly left the building. And you know what - it's about bloody time!

From the moment you press play on "Rudebox" it's like a breathe of fresh air. It's a cool collection, with some really great dance beats - and still just poppy enough for the mainstream. The latest single Lovelight, much like Rudebox, grows on you like a quick acting skin rash. It's thumping opening electronic beat is superb while Williams' high pitched smooth vocals will have you wondering if you have accidently chucked a JT, George Michael or Jamiroqui album in the decks.

Viva Life On Mars seems to work, with Williams describing it as "Oh Brother Where Art Thou, meets Primal Scream when they were good", while Bongo Bong and Summertime also seem to do the trick. But, as it has become a normality with Williams albums of late - there are just as many hits as there are misses.

She's Madonna, while cleverly worded and able to embed itself into your brain like a YouTube clip, gets a bit on the nose. The Actor, Burslem Normals and Louise fail to spark any real interest with a good majority of the tracks leaving you thinking that perhaps without Williams at the lead, they could very well be the coolest club tracks doing the rounds.

There's of course the obligatory RW cheeky word play, but for a good part of the album you can't help think that Robbie is almost trying a little to hard to be clever. In fact, this has been one of his most controversial albums yet with several lawsuits sitting on his doorstep. The upcoming third single, She's Madonna, was the centre of a tabloid storm after Ashley Hamilton has threatened to take Williams to court over claims that he came up with part of the song with Robbie. Most recently, controversy arose over the track The 90s, part of which attacks Take That's manager Nigel Martin-Smith after he allegedly ripped off the band of a swag of cash during a European tour in the early 90's.

While much was made of Robbie's departure from long time writing partner Guy Chambers just after "Escapology", it's quite refreshing to hear some new Robbie tracks. While we'd all like another Angels or Come Undone, the pop music scene is changing quickly, and it's a fantastic move by RW to roll with the crowd. He's even brought on board several new contributors including MySpace discovery Lilley Allen (on Bongo and Keep On) as well as several collaborations with The Pet Shop Boys (most notably the early 90's sounding We're The Pet Shop Boys).

It's certainly not going to be loved by all. And for hardcore Robbie fans, it will take more than a few spins to adjust to the new sound. But it's definitely worth a listen or two and shows that Rob is more than a one trick pony. Keep an ear out for this one as one of the better Pop/Commercial summer albums this year.

RATING: 4 out of 5