Robbie Williams - Rudebox (Hk)
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Free Music Notes for Rudebox (Hk)
Free Music Review: great
Hit: 5 Stars
really good. if you.ve never gotten into robbie this is a good place to start. sharply produced, confessional brit-pop and very funny.Free Music Review: "Eclectic," "Departure," and "Good"
Hit: 4 Stars
These three words immediately came to mind during my first listening of this album. My review pretty much circles them.
In his own words, Rob says "I saw the whole Robbie thing coming to a close as it was...I couldn't make another album like the ones I'd made," and, indeed, he did not. This album is a rather large departure from his previous efforts stylistically. Content, however, has not changed - and the content makes this a Robbie Williams album like all others. There are a lot of fun songs, some introspective songs, and some very funny songs thrown in to round out the mix. While the style is a bit of a departure, the songs and lyrics themselves very much are Robbie.
The first two singles from this album, "Rudebox" and "Lovelight," are prime examples of the departure that Robbie has taken with this album. The songs have a heavy techno influence, but they still have a strong pop sound. Were we in the 80's, the songs probably would have been classified as "new wave." "Never Touch That Switch," "She's Madonna," and "We're the Pet Shop Boys" push the pop boundary even further. The Pet Shop Boys signature on the latter two songs is unmistakable - the last song for obvious reasons. In discussing the song, Rob says, "I love the irony of covering a cover."
"Good Doctor" and the hidden track are downright hilarious. The two autobiographical "decade" songs, "The 80's" and "The 90's," are quite haunting and pretty dark. I think my favorite song, though, is "Viva Life on Mars." The song is very bluesy...almost country. While it is just as eclectic as anything else on the album, the song draws from very different genres and finds a very unique sound.
The one thing that seems to be missing on this album is that Robbie does not get a chance to shine vocally. Robbie is a crooner. He loves to sing and all of his other albums showcased his vocal talent. This album is missing that signature. None of the songs on this album seem to push him vocally and, as such, the songs sound a bit on the weak side. Aside from "Rudebox," none of the songs really scream "this is going to be a great song in concert" to me.
Robbie has seen very little air play here in the States, and that trend will continue with this album. While the album has been and will continue to be well-received in Europe, the songs are very much outside of the scope of pop radio here. Fleeting fans will be alienated by the change in style. It certainly took me some time to warm up to this album. After giving my mind some time to wrap itself around the album, though, I am finding that I like the album more and more. While it will not shoot to the top of my all-time favorite albums, it still is good music.
Free Music Review: His most accessible album in ages
Hit: 4 Stars
At least I like to think so. I've read some reviews from some critics and they bash this..why? I'm not sure. Probably because this album is actually more upbeat and much more better than his last two albums.
The British music industry is such a weird thing, I think if something doesn't sound like Oasis or Coldplay (you know, the melancholy crap they prefer to like) then they either immediately diss it or ride it off as a failure. Now mind you there have been exceptions to this rule, with the likes of acts like the incredible and beautiful Girls Aloud and Craig David, that prove that Brit Pop doesn't have to be full of Beatles-wannabes and boring and mediocre alt-rock acts. I think Robbie Williams wanted to go in a fresh direction with Rudebox but the British public don't seem to have grasped it for some reason.
But like I said before this album probably is his most quirkiest and coolest since his 2000 album Sing When You're Winning. He embraces everything here from club beats to his trademark melodies. There are some great great tracks on this!
My favorite tracks on the album would be:
"Rudebox"-Hey, I like to hear Robbie rap. He sounds too cool. I have nothing against this track unlike some of the music lovers back in his home country.
"She's Madonna"-This song grows on you. It's got a nice ambient type of beat and Robbie's vocals work great here!
"Viva Life On Mars"-This track is one of the catchiest songs on the album. When he gets to the chorus...."Viva Life On Mars I'm calling, sending my frequency to the galaxy so you can see, people down here."...is when he shines and shows why he's loved back home in the UK, Europe and Latin America.
"Never Touch That Switch"-It's got a great beat. What more can I say? Again, Robbie sounds so cool on this track. If it weren't for his English accent, you could assume this was a track straight from a rapper from 1980's hip-hop scene.
"Kiss Me"-My favorite track on the album. This one delves into a synthesized beat fest perfect for the likes of the best clubs in Europe. A great chorus in this one as well.
"Summertime"-William Orbit adds his magic production skills to this great ballad. What a good song to chill back to in the summer sun.
"The 90's"-Robbie raps and sings about his life in the early 90's and all his turmoil and misery he endured while in Take That as well as talking about what it's like to be famous.
Other great tracks include "Keep On" and "Lovelight".
I can't say enough great things about this album and it ranks among his best. Go snag it!
Free Music Review: Back to Britpop
Hit: 4 Stars
The crossover is over, and Robbie Williams has returned to his roots with this album. It may take repeated listening to get into it, as it's full of Eurodance and Britpop tracks, and sounds more like the Pet Shop Boys (who produce two of the tracks), than the Robbie Williams of the last few albums.
First single "Rudebox" is produced by Soul Mekanik, and is a fun dance track that sets the tone for the album. Soul Mekanik also produce two other tracks, including another good electro-dance track "Never Touch That Switch" where Robbie sings lyrics like "there's a schism in the time mechanism".
Second single "Lovelight" is a track where he covers the Lewis Taylor original and sings in falsetto, and is followed by the outrageously funny cover of Manu Chao's "Bongo Bong" (or King of the Bongo) in "Bongo Bong/Je Ne T'Aime Plus". The two Pet Shop Boys tracks are "She's Madonna" which is a tribute to the always controversial singer, and "We're the Pet Shop Boys" which you won't be able to differentiate from a PSB original.
Other tracks are produced by Mark Ronson, Jerry Meehan, William Orbit, and others, and include a cover of "Louise" by Human League. I thought he could have done a bit more with "The 80s" and "The 90s" and was looking forward to more samples. Rapping is not his strong point, and neither is falsetto, but when he turns on his cheeky, rude, bad boy charm you can't help but like him anyway.
Amanda Richards, October 31, 2006
Free Music Review: Why All The Fuzz
Hit: 4 Stars
For some reason Rudebox has gotten a ton of awful press, and its sales were nowhere near the lot of Robbie's previous efforts but to me he has finally done what I wanted him to do - he made a record that I will play just as much as Sing When You're Winning. Not that Robbie's last two CDs were bad it's just that they were familiar, they were just extensions of what he has done before, but with Rudebox it seems he's headed to a newer dimension, a starkly dark yet thrilling disco where you can both shake your rudebox and do the rudebox all at the same time. The opening title cut is just plain dance fun silliness though so is most of the album, yet it's all together quite catchy - "Viva Life On Mars" with it's 'uh huhs' reminds me of a ten different songs all great, and the Lily Allen pseudo duet "Bongo Bong and Je Ne T'aime Plus" is just fun as hell. I'm a tad confused over "She's Madonna" no matter how many times I hear it, I can't tell if he's telling his girl he has to leave cause Madonna wants him or it's just some strange fantasy, Madonna makes another appearance in "The Actor" which breaks down in the middle to list a ton of actors working a la Miss M's "Vogue", "We're The Pet Shop Boys" with the actual Pet Shop Boys is all very, well, Pet Shop Boys, and his two autobiographical takes "The 80's" and "The 90's" are better than I expected. All in all, Rudebox is a much welcome addition to Robbie's post Guy Chambers albums and I think he's finally having some fun.