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| Robbie
Williams, Rudebox |
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| REVIEWED
BY ROBERT BALLANTYNE, POSTED ON OCTOBER
29, 2006 |
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For some reason,
Robbie Williams has had difficulty translating his superstar
success in North America. It's too bad, because right now there
are lame excuses for mass appeal male pop stars right now — the whiny Justin Timberlake is as "good" as
it gets. And unfortunately, though Rudebox is Williams' best album since
2000's Sing When You're Winning, its electro-pop leanings are a deficit
in today's hip-hop heavy marketplace.
But that aside, Rudebox is relentlessly
catchy and fun, and its appeal lies in the fact that it never takes itself too
seriously — even the horrendously bad title track works because Williams's
lame Cockney raps are so knowingly delivered. However, the album's straightforward
pop tracks are the true killer singles here, including both "Lovelight" and "Summertime" – though
don't mistake the sincere-sounding "She's Madonna" as one of those
tracks, as it's supposedly a knock on Guy Ritchie, who allegedly dumped
a serious girlfriend as soon as he caught the Material Girl's eye.
While Rudebox is never
brilliant, there are a few duds ("Louise" and "The 80's" come
to mind) but there's more good than bad, and its hard to fault an album that
is so consistently entertaining. (Chrysalis/EMI)  |
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