Robbie Williams
Escapology

THE REVIEW

Ok, I've reviewed Alex Britti… and now I'm talking about ROBBIE WILLIAMS (calamity of calamities)! The one who years ago used to sing with those (3 or 4) goofballs of Take That!
I have an explanation to justify my madness: ok, he makes pop (and what's wrong with that?), ok, he's an idiot who goes crying to his mom because nobody notices him in the States, but that doesn't change the fact that the products he churns out are always big hits (and deservedly so).

This album isn't bad: it's composed of a lot of pop-rock, great bursts of electric guitars and acoustic guitars as per brit pop tradition (Oasis taught us well). The first track “How Peculiar” starts immediately with acoustic guitar which is then joined by a distorted electric one. The hit “Feel” is a great song supported only by piano touches with a fantastic melody. “Something Beautiful” has a swing style and a cheerful melody based on an elementary piano riff enriched by brass. “Monsoon” is a sweet pop rock in the verse that delivers a catchy and immediate chorus. We get to the first tearjerker of the CD “Sexed Up” where it talks about broken hearts, breakups, etc., etc., the song is beautiful, the arrangement too. It is followed by a track that immediately reminds us of Queen, not certainly for Williams's voice, but for the style, for the drama of the chorus composed of choirs, strings, and the most “apocalyptic” elements you can imagine! After the negligible “Revolution” and the cute “Handsome Man,” there's another gem: “Come Undone” which is in the style of “Sexed Up,” meaning a calm and melodic verse and an explosion in the chorus complete with strings: a treasure! After the overly long and somewhat ugly “Me And My Monkey” comes “Song 3” which starts immediately with two rock guitars, becomes melodic in the pre-chorus, and in the chorus, you can see why the title is so damnably relatable to “Song 2” by Blur (even if that one is unique and unbeatable): it's an explosion of anger, shouts, and guitars! “Cursed” is strong pop rock like the previous one, just more melodic (it sounds like it's from “Free All Angels” by Ash). It closes with a final thrill: the emotional “Nan’s Song” (written entirely by him, not bad) which reminds of acoustic ballads by Noel Gallagher.

In short, in the end, this CD won't change the history of music but at least he puts in the effort; it's better that the other Take That members stay hidden, they can't compete with their former bandmate anymore!