Robbie Williams
Intensive Care
(EMI)
Part of the fun of listening to Robbie Williams is identifying the echoes of other pop and rock stars in his work; his is an energetic and shameless form of pastiche pop.
Take, for instance, Tripping, the single off his new album, Intensive Care (EMI). It’s as though UB40 had hired U2’s Bono for a guest vocal; against a synth-reggae backing, Williams does a perfect Zooropa-style Bono imitation, up to and including the regretful downward swoop at the end of the falsetto passage.
Elsewhere, you can find reminiscences of Elton John, David Bowie, George Michael, The Smiths, The Pet Shop Boys, Pulp, and others. The penultimate number, A Place to Crash, even sounds like the Rolling Stones circa 1974, for heaven’s sake! Luckily there’s very little to remind one of Williams’s former band, Take That (said to be reforming this year, sans Williams).
Of course pop has always been autocannibalistic; even more serious-minded rock is filled with thefts from and recyclings of the past. Oasis, for example, have made an entire career sounding like a Sixties-rock tribute band, without any truly original songwriting at all.
Williams (with the assistance of his present collaborator, Stephen Duffy) is a more interesting songwriter than the Gallagher brothers, though. He is able to Magimix his influences and borrowings into something that sounds fresh, and he gives the execution his all. The sound is brightly poppy, all clean lines and dovetailing melodies, with just enough edgy guitar to make it feel like it has a bit of health-giving roughage.
Williams is good at this kind of pastiche because he does it with both conviction and irony. If that sounds odd, look at his lyrics on Make Me Pure: “So I sing a song/To reel ’em in / It’s a song I’ve sung before/And a song I’m going to sing again/I mean every word/And I don’t mean a single one of them.”
ALSO ON THE SHELF
Bon Jovi
Have a Nice Day (Universal)
Why mess with a proven recipe? Here’s Bon Jovi belting out yet more typical Bon Jovi rock and ballads, which sound remarkably like recycled past Bon Jovi hits. Those who remain loyal fans will love this; the rest of us have moved on a long time ago. — Riaan Wolmarans
Various
Bump XVII (Gallo)
This Gauteng dance club has been dead for some time now, but there’s no end to the CD series, it seems. Here are two discs — mixed by DJ Costa — keeping on the commercial side of dance, exemplified by track one, disc one: Danzel’s Put Your Hands Up in the Air. Those who bought the previous XVI Bump CDs will find no fault with this one. — Riaan Wolmarans
Various
Late Night Moods 2 (EMI)
George Michael, Jamie Cullum, Katie Melua, Bryan Ferry, Lisa Stansfield and others (even Nat King Cole) are brought together to go with candlelight and good red wine. Romantic jazz, blues and serene pop without schmaltz. — Riaan Wolmarans
Various
Spirits: Music for the Soul: The Ultimate Collection (EMI)
This kind of ambient collection should be banned. Yet again we’re force-fed Vangelis’s Conquest of Paradise, Adiemus’s eponymous track, Delerium’s Silence and other “favourites”. Pity the soul that has to listen to this one repeatedly. — Riaan Wolmarans
Various
Strictly Summer (David Gresham)
Happy, carefree tunes for summer, from Milk & Sugar’s infectious dance track Jezebel and Ike and Tina Turner vs Gauzz on Raise Your Hand to Basement Jaxx, Timo Maas, Capsolys and Morcheeba. Just avoid the extended mix of DHT’s awful, syrupy cover of Roxette’s Listen to Your Heart right at the end of the album. — Riaan Wolmarans