Robbie Williams
Take The Crown

Robbie, the former bad boy caught between excess, scandal, and euphoria, has now settled into the warm abode of a husband and nearly forty-year-old father. Even though many prefer to remember him as the most eccentric male pop star of the mainstream firmament, an eclectic chameleon not only in aesthetic and clothing terms, a fierce enemy of the Gallagher brothers, and the only human capable of shedding his organs and skin configuration while remaining alive and well on the dance floor, Mr. Williams seems to have forgotten that brilliant past as a rebellious braggart, unsatisfied with controversies and millions of copies sold. The chronological catalyst was the acclaimed reunion with Take That (from which he broke away at just twenty to embark on his solo adventure), a reunion likely prompted by the lucrative success of Gary Barlow and company's comeback in 2006.

Three years after his last studio work Reality Killed The Video Star and two years after rejoining the old band with Progress, Robbie Williams presents his eighth creation, Take The Crown, an album that, despite being released during the artist's content metamorphosis, seems to be a sort of return to debut sounds or at least the dawn of his solo career. Leaving behind the spiritual-new age aura of Intensive Care and the poorly received - both critically and commercially - mischievous electro-hip hop-grime turn of Rudebox, little Robert re-snuggles into the energetic, dynamic, and vibrant rock of many years ago, and the brit-pop effluvia of eminently UK-made craftsmanship. This sound choice, already pursued with the previous Reality Killed The Video Star (which still remained a decent stew of multiple musical choices), finds its fullest expression here, forging a tracklist of simple, catchy, and sincere songs, albeit lacking the legendary vigor of Feel, Millennium and Rock DJ.

The first single, Candy, yet another collaboration with longtime friend and colleague Gary Barlow, does not provide a precise and optimal idea of what the album truly is and offers a bizarre funky-dance mix (complete with a surreal accompanying clip) almost reminiscent of the playful and carefree times of mischievous Robbie. On the same nostalgic and melancholic vein lands the synth-oriented ballad Be a Boy, shortly followed by the more convincing and substantial folk-melodic tinged Different, and the poignant guitar riffs of Into The Silence. They thus play at being glam-rockers steeped in the stage delirium of Hey Wow Yeah Yeah, adding distinct Eurodance motifs akin to Goldfrapp in Shit On The Radio, as well as a sunny country calm for Losers and still combining glimpses of 80s electronics and vintage rock in All That I Want.

A mature and somewhat aged man, weary of antics and low-grade tabloid scandals, Robbie has laid down the weapons of artificial eccentricity, embracing the tranquility of becoming, the comfort of a nine-figure career, the peace made with former enemy colleagues, and the love of a satisfied and happy family. Take The Crown, far from the restlessness and explosive exuberance of a youngster at odds with everyone and everything, is the demonstration that leaving excess behind doesn't necessarily go hand in hand with forced artistic retirement. Perhaps, for those nostalgic of the lad lost between a James Bond-style tuxedo, skeletal nudism, and the retro-swing approach of the beautiful Nicole Kidman, Robbie Williams as a dad/husband/reunited Take That member will seem like a tabloid traitor, yet the breach in the hearts of the charts and old/new die-hard aficionados is almost achieved.

Robbie Williams, Take The Crown

Be a Boy - Gospel - Candy - Different - Shit On The Radio - All That I Want - Hunting for You - Into the Silence - Hey Wow Yeah Yeah - Not Like The Others - Losers