Album Review: Robbie Williams- Take The Crown

Robbie Williams' 9th solo album begins not with a whimper but with a bang in the form of 'Be A Boy'. This is the perfect opening, paving the way for the rest of the album both musically and thematically, with the chorus directly responding his critics who believe he's 'old and irrelevant' (see what I did there Radio 1?). For the record, he is neither and this album adequately demonstrates that.

Lead single 'Candy' (and his 14th number 1 in the UK) is a boppy, bouncy affair, similar to 'Tripping', describing nefarious girls. You know, the kind who think they're shit-hot when really they're insufferable and smug. It's incredibly catchy and I can just imagine hearing a stadium singing along to the chorus.

Another highlight of the album is 'Different', which has quickly entered my 'Robbie Top 10'. It is nothing short of brilliant what with the amazing string section and the heartbreaking lyrics, pleading that 'this time I'll be different I promise you'. By the end of my first listen to this track, I was in tears. It is just that beautiful and sad.

The 'Coldplay meets U2' influence that Robbie spoke about months before the album's release is pleasantly dispersed throughout, from the 'oh's' in the background to the guitar on 'Hunting For You' and 'Into the Silence'. It's not overt, but just enough to know he's been listening to 'Pride (In The Name Of Love)' quite a bit recently. As a finale, the duet with Lissie, 'Losers' (originally by The Belle Brigade), perhaps is the album's grandest moment as Robbie laments that he 'he doesn't care about being a winner'. Though, you get the feeling that everything preceding this track contradicts that; he does care about being the best because there are some incredibly strong tracks here.

The deluxe edition of the album features a fantastic track called 'Reverse' which contains the great lyric 'it's just a bad day, not a bad life' and could have definitely fit onto the standard edition of the album. For Take That fans, there is also Robbie's stripped down version of 'Eight Letters', a song that featured Gary Barlow doing lead vocals on the group's last album, Progress. I can't say which one I prefer right now; both versions are both just as good as each other.

'Take The Crown' feels like the natural follow up to 'Intensive Care' rather than his previous effort 'Reality Killed The Video Star'. It's certainly an improvement on the latter (which was no means a bad album), but I still feel like he still has potential to write a truly perfect album, and that can only be a good thing. Right now though, Robbie Williams is the only relevant, interesting male pop star creating truly wonderful music. The throne is ready sir; come and take it.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Check out: Be A Boy, Different, Candy, Into The Silence, Losers

Album Review: Britney Spears 'Femme Fatale (Deluxe Edition)'

Oh Britney. What have you done?

For those of you that don't know me, from 1999 to 2005, I was a massive Britney stan. Huge. Until her knee screwed everything up. From that point on, when she decided her career was nothing and that celebrity status was more important, I decided to flip her the bird and move on. Sure, I bought 'Blackout' and 'Circus' but months after their releases and with minimal excitement. 'Blackout' was great leap forward for her, but 'Circus' was full of filler and seems like such a whimper compared to its predecessor (even 'In The Zone' was more of a leap forward than 'Circus').

So, my thoughts then on Femme Fatale, her seventh studio album.

It is much, much better than 'Circus'. My biggest problem with Britney was that she still had the lyrics and music of a teeny bopper. Not so much on here even though she is still working with Max Martin (who, if you didn't know by now, wrote 'Baby One More Time'). There's a nice duality in the opening tracks 'Til the World Ends' and 'Hold it Against Me'- both of them have the 'faux-dubstep' sound but are very much what Britney should sound like in 2011.
The fan favourite 'Inside Out' is next and while it's a good track, I don't get the hype over it. That's not to say I don't like it though. But it's no where near her top 10 best tracks. That honour should go to the next track, 'I Wanna Go'. The hook, the whistle effects, the beat- it sounds so fresh and different from anything else she's done. I keep going back to this track the most.
'How I Roll' is a cute sounding song with amateurish lyrics, but that's okay. Is it weird that my favourite bit about the song is just opening effects? SMS or e-mail me the answer plz.

The next three tracks that follow have this dance/techno (I use that term incredibly lightly) concept. I really would love to hear a mashup of 'Trouble For Me' with 'Take Me to The Love Parade' *coughmakeithappenpleasecough* There's a real 90s dance vibe on these tracks, in my opinion. 'Trip To Your Heart' another fan favourite off the cut, is good, but it doesn't live up to the hype. It does sound like the older, wiser sister of 'Heaven on Earth' though.'Gasoline' is a catchy albeit filler-ish track using the extended metaphor of petrol for adrenaline/lust. #shrugs
The standard album ends with 'Criminal'. Yes it's a good song, downtempo and harks back to Madonna circa American Life BUT ever since I read the observation that the chorus sounds like 'The Logical Song', it's been tainted. Just a bit.

Now, the real goodies are on the deluxe edition. 'Up N Down' has a great bridge and catchy chorus, as does 'Selfish'. The real highlight on the album is 'He About To Lose Me'. All I can say is: That. Beat. Totally hypnotic. Wonderfully understated. Just a shame that it doesn't sound like Britney sings the chorus at all.

It's a good album. Not the 'Ray of Light' esqueness that we had been told to expect. But then again, I don't think Britney could carry that sound or thematic concerns off very well. Indeed, the album is based on sex and dancing. Or dancing as a metaphor for sex. So it's a safe album in terms of lyrics, but thank god the sound has progressed. Her fanbase isn't 12 years old anymore and neither is she. The big question from here is whether she wants to continue to be a popstar or not, because it looks and sounds like it's just not her thing anymore.

Verdict: 7 Mickey's out of 10 Mouse Clubs
Standout Tracks: I Wanna Go, He About To Lose Me, Till The World Ends

NB: Big Fat Bass and (Drop Dead) Beautiful are both shit. Except for the piano bit on the former.

Album Review: Adele '21'

For many weeks after it's release, I avoided this album like the plague. Adele's debut album, '19', whilst having some great singles, did not live up to my expectations at all and so I was wary of falling into a similar trap.

And then I heard 'Rolling in the Deep'. The first single is an ear assault. It's punchy, with big vocals and full of vitriol. Actually, the whole album is peppered by hate, or perhaps regret. Either way it's one of the best breakup albums I've heard.
So after this, I watched her performances of 'Someone Like You' at the Brit Awards.

Sold.

This is kind of performance that's destined to leave you in tears, clutching a pillow and rocking back and forth in the foetal position. Not that I did or anything....

post performance, I headed to my local CD store and had to have the album. And this time I was not disappointed. Tracks like 'Rumour Has It' and 'I'll Be Waiting' keep the spirit of the album alive in between heartbreaking songs like 'Set Fire to the Rain' and 'Turning Tables'. I've yet to warm up to 'One and Only' and 'Lovesong', but an average of 9 out of 11 brilliant tracks makes up for that. Her voice is so soulful and full of emotion, that you can hear the pain when she sings. Lyrically, it's very good. I particularly enjoy this one from 'Turning Tables': 'Next time I'll be braver/ I'll be my own saviour/when the thunder calls for me'. Achingly beautiful.

Adele was lumped in with Winehouse and Duffy as her contemporaries. Out of those three, it seems like she's the one that's made progress musically and may have long term success.

A stunning gem of an album.

Verdict: 9 angry texts out of 10 screened phone calls
Standout Tracks: Rolling in the Deep, Rumour Has It, Set Fire To The Rain, Someone Like You

Album Review: Aston 'Aston'

Here's something different. Aston are a classical music group.
WAIT! DON'T LEAVE!
They do covers of pop songs.
Still here? Good. Because these guys are brilliant. I took one look at the track listing and went 'yes, yes, YES!', as if they had stumbled upon my music collection purposely. They arrange the tracks themselves and in some cases, they have one upped the originals. Muse, Coldplay, Florence + The Machine; hell even Rihanna and Lady Gaga get treatments here. It's all instrumental but it just sounds amazing. Each track sweeps and soars- you can feel the emotionality of these songs that you may not have noticed before. Perfect for a mainstream music lover who wants something a bit different.

Verdict:9 woods out of 10 winds
Stand out tracks: ET, You've Got The Love, Rude Boy

Album Review: Take That 'Progress'

A bit of history: I became a fan of Robbie Williams in 2000 after I received a copy of his album 'Sing When You're Winning' for my birthday. I've been wearing my RW fan badge with pride ever since. Considering I'm too young to remember Take That v1.0, in a span of 10 years I went from: not knowing who the hell they were, knowing they sang 'Back For Good', knowing that Robbie left the group in 1995, listening to their greatest hits and finally liking and accepting them as a four piece. So when news broke that Robbie Williams was rejoining them, I was aghast. I like my Robbie solo and my TT as a four piece.

I would like to officially state, for the record, that I'm now on board for TT v 3.0 (or v1.0 mark 2). And it's all because of 'The Flood'. It doesn't quite sound like TT, nor does it sound like Robbie's last record. In fact, much like the rest of 'Progress', it's the best of worlds, shaken up Bryan Brown Cocktail style, and presented in the most delightful fashion. 'The Flood' is epic in all sense of the word and although there isn't anything else like it on the rest of the album, it makes sense as the opener. 'SOS' and 'Kidz' are upBEAT. The drums are loud as are the choruses (catchy as hell). It's been said a million times in other reviews, but you can hear the Muse influence at play here. If they choose to cover the band on tour, I vote 'Undisclosed Desires' or 'Neutron Star Collision' (But they'll probably incorporate 'Uprising'). Similarly, Robbie's 'solo' track 'Underground Machine' is in this dystopic rock style. And yes, I just made that genre up. :D

There's even hints of hip-hop influences in 'Wait'. At first, I didn't like it, but that chorus is just... catchy. And that's the thing with every track on the album. If the verse or bridge is dull, the choruses come to the rescue. Not saying that's a bad thing at all though.

The middle tracks 'Pretty Things' and 'Happy Now' have this Bee Gees esque ness about them, especially the latter. 'Pretty Things' has this 'We-are-starring-in-a-period-drama-produced-by-BBC'. I lol'd at first, but it grew on me considerably.

'Affirmation' and 'Eight Letters' are really amazing tracks that round off the album. 'Flowerbed' as the finale is sweet as and that second chorus when the beat really kicks in is sort of heartbreaking.

The ultimate standout track for me here is Mark Owen's solo track 'What Do You Want From Me?'. Over the past three days since I've listened to the album, I find that it's the one track I keep coming back to. It's uplifting and sweet but also again, heartbreaking. You can hear the emotion in his voice- he means every word he's singing. I can just imagine the video for this: close ups of him, black and white, fists in the air and pulling it down to his chest. Sadly, this track also contains the cringeworthy lyric of 'I still want to have sex with you' which I like to block out every time. However, I think, in the spirit of this album's concept, that these are men who are in their late 30s and early 40s- they are not teenagers. If they can't sing about sex, then who can?

Without a doubt, this is one of the best album's of 2010 for me. With the help of Stuart Price, the group have moved on...yes, they've made progress from they boys they once were to men who are scared, happy, nervous, asking for forgiveness. Whether Robbie stays or not is the point here; it's how they can take this sound and evolve it.

Verdict: 4.5 Takes out of 5 Thats.
Standout Tracks: The Flood, SOS, Kidz, What Do You Want From Me?

Album Review: Duffy 'Endlessly'

There's a reason why a sophmore album is labelled 'the very difficult second album'. Some artists get it right whilst others do not. That's because when you're coming off an exceptional debut, there's either a decision to stick with the same sound (it worked the first time, so why not) or change it up so audiences don't get bored. There's an equal chance of both options failing or being successful.

Here though, Duffy has cleverly decided to both change it up and keep her blue-eyed soul sound that rocketed her to stardom on her debut 'Rockferry'.
Whilst her debut was mainly ballad heavy, 'Endlessly' is a more upbeat affair. Yes, there are ballads ('Too Hurt to Dance, 'Don't Forsake Me' and 'Hard for the Heart'), but there are also tracks like the first single 'Well, Well, Well' which show this other side to her that 'Mercy' really only hinted at. Heck, she even goes a bit disco on 'Lovestruck'. I know, guys. I know. But it works. It's almost like the upbeat blue eyed soul of the 60s in a contemporary format. There's beats! And drums! And strings!

As for singles, nothing really standouts as opposed to her debut, but as an album it works well. The change in her production and writing team really shows (I believe the dance sound is ultimately due to Stuart Price's co-production on some tracks- gosh, he is getting around this year!) and while some audiences may find her uber-vibrato voice grating, I quite enjoy it. Certainly, out of her peers (Amy Winehouse and Adele) her album was by far my favourite and this second album solidifies it. My only gripe is the lack of dual epicness. On 'Rockferry' we had the title track and closed with 'Distant Dreamer' but the siblings here 'My Boy' and 'Hard For the Heart', although amazing, fall short of the grandiose aspects of the former tracks.

Verdict:A solid effort. 4 out of 5.
Key tracks: My Boy, Breath Away, Hard For The Heart, Keeping My Baby, Well, Well, Well.