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ROBBIE WILLIAMS Rudebox (EMI) |
 FIRST and foremost, forgive me for being a tad late with this review. Reason is, I was overwhelmed by disbelief after I popped this CD into my player. I could not believe how terrible this album is and kept listening to it repeatedly hoping that it would change my mind. After all, I do strongly believe that Robbie Williams is one of the greatest performers ever lived. I even forgave him for cancelling the Asian leg of his tour. But the poor quality rendered here, I can- not forgive! Was he also developing a bout of "exhaustion" when he was working on this album? The first single, Rudebox, already made me doubtful of the album's overall quality. His attempt to rap alone was a letdown because it has none of the enthusiasm inherent in most rappers. It just sounds like a typical Northerner talking to his mates in the pub. Vanilla Ice could have done better! But being an optimist, I was hoping to find a small gem somewhere. Surely there must be one (or more) in here. And I'm still looking for that gem. There are, however, a few semi-precious ones that deserve to be heard from time to time. There's the hilarious Bongo Bong and Je Ne Taime Plus. This is actually two songs fused into one. The first part is absolutely meaning- less about how the prince of the jungle goes to town trying to impress people with his bongo-playing skills. The second part is a repetitive tune telling a lover how he doesn't love her. Quirky Lily Allen lends her talent on this piece, upping the song's fun factor. Also, check out his so-called stalker-like obsession for Madonna. Whether or not it was intended to impress the Material Mum herself, Williams can pass She's Madonna off as a schoolboy ode to the American superstar. Another passable number is Good Doctor where Williams, once again, hilariously illustrates some people's obsession with pills and, on a more serious note, drugs. The 80s and The 90s are two songs about him growing up. In the former, you might recognise some familiar lyrics which were slightly modified to suit Williams' taste while in the latter, you will bear witness to Williams' bumpy involvement with Take That. This is a weak offering coming from Robbie Williams despite it having a few reasonably good tunes. If he is as great as he thinks he is, he probably could come up with something better next time. |
