ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
As some of you might be aware, I listen to a wide variety of music genres while I work here at the newspaper, and that now includes British pop. While that might seem a bit odd, I recently came across Robbie Williams’ newest album “Britpop,” which was released last week.
For those unaware, Williams is an English singer and songwriter and was a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995 before launching his solo career in 1996. He’s not as well known here in the U.S., although those who are fans of Pixar’s “Cars 2” heard his “Collision of Worlds” duet with country musician Brad Paisley.
To start off, Williams’ vocals come out strong right out of the gate on the album’s first song, and he’s able to maintain that throughout the entire album. He’s also able to adapt his voice to different styles with both the faster songs and slower songs, and I was actually reminded different artists while listening to the album, including Green Day and David Bowie, among multiple others. That variety makes for a very enjoyable listen, and vocally speaking, Williams sounds like he’s having a lot of fun throughout the entire album, which I love. Overall, vocally speaking, there’s not a single bad moment on the album.
As far as the songs go, the lyrics are slightly cheeky yet fun at the same time throughout the entire album, which shouldn’t have surprised me since I know the British have an interesting sense of humor. I also really liked how there was aural variety on the album, which always makes for a good listen for an album – there are a few slower and sweeter songs and some faster, more driving songs, and the album strikes a great balance. Lyrically speaking, I would say my favorite songs from the album are “Pretty Face,” (which is very sweet and could refer to any close lady in one’s life, whether it’s a wife or girlfriend or even a newborn daughter), “All My Life” (which I feel could be a bite-sized autobiographical song for Williams’ life), and “It’s OK Until The Drugs Stop Working” (which I feel is a very unique insight into the mind of an addict that really paints a picture for listener). I also really liked “Human,” which I felt was a song version of the movie “Soul” since it talks about being sure to live life every day to the fullest. However, I ended up not being too crazy about the songs “You” or “Bite Your Tongue,” which I felt were rather a mess lyrically speaking and didn’t really seem to have a story to tell. Overall, in terms of the songs, the album is a pretty solid effort.
The instrumental work on the songs is also really solid throughout the entire album, and there wasn’t a single moment when I was bored listening. The guitar work and percussion work are absolutely insane on each song, and there were multiple times when I thought “They did NOT have to go THAT HARD!” Much like the vocals, there’s not a single bad instrumental moment on the album.
Overall, I very much enjoyed listening to Robbie Williams’ newest release, “Britpop,” and I can’t believe it took this long for me to officially listen to an album of his. I would give the album a “B-plus” – the vocals are strong starting with the first song and remain strong throughout all 11 songs on the album. The lyrics are slightly cheeky yet fun at the same time, and I particularly enjoyed “Pretty Face,” “All My Life,” “It’s OK Until The Drugs Stop Working” and “Human,” while I ended up not being too crazy about the songs “You” or “Bite Your Tongue,” which I felt were rather a mess lyrically speaking. The instrumental work on the songs is also really solid throughout the entire album, and there wasn’t a single moment when I was bored listening to it. If you’re a fan of any of Williams’ other music, or if you’re a fan of British pop music, “Britpop” is a good one to cue up.
