Escapology [PA] - Robbie Williams > Reviews > The Robster Ego has Landed

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Outstanding
Value for Money

Advantages:	An album that will be played over and over
Disadvantages:	One naff track

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Love him or hate him, you have to admit that Robbie Williams is talented. Before I go any further, I have to say that as a person I think he is an arrogant little turd, but after buying Escapology, I have appreciated his music more than I ever have done before.

Robbie first came into our lives with the boy band Take That, and was always known as the cheeky one. As we all know, Robbie made the break and soon after Take That decided to go their separate ways. Robbie has had more success than all the rest of the them put together, but has had his fair share of problems along the way, including drug and drink addiction, and he even had the misfortune to supposedly date Geri Halliwell.

Escapology, the fifth of Robbie’s albums, was released, with much hype, in late 2002, amidst the revelations that Robbie had sacked his song writing partner Guy Chambers. We will have to see how that affects Robbie’s songs with his next album offering.

The CD can be bought for £8.99 at CD Wow and the front cover depicts Robbie hanging by his ankles at the top of a very large building.

TRACK LISTING
*************

1. How Peculiar
2. Feel
3. Something Beautiful
4. Monsoon
5. Sexed Up
6. Love Somebody
7. Revolution
8. Handsome Man
9. Come Undone
10. Me and my Monkey
11. Song 3
12. Hot Fudge
13. Curse
14. Nan’s song

As of writing, Robbie has released two tracks from the album, the wonderful “Feel”, and “Come Undone”.

I’ll start with the naff tracks first.

Me and My Monkey is a very strange inclusion on this album. It is a long rambling song, over seven minutes and is not Robbie’s usual style at all, and deals with the very strange story of going to Mexico with a monkey. Very weird and spoils the album really. I even began to wonder if this was written back in the days of his drug and drink addiction as it makes no sense at all!

Handsome Man is the only other track on the album that I really don’t like and it has nothing to do with the tune which is quite catchy. This is Robbie at his absolute worst and shows he really is an arrogant pig. This may have been written tongue and cheek but I strongly doubt it.

“Y'all know who I am
I'm still the boy next door
That's if you're Lord Litchfield and Roger Moore
If I've gone up in the world
Or is the world gone down on me
I'm the one who put the Brits in celebrity”

Onto the better ones….

How Peculiar sounds very similar to a Beatles track and has undertones of “Come Together”. You could almost find yourself transported back thirty years or so. Robbie’s voice sounds very much like John Lennon, and the track is accompanied by a guitar. However, as the song progresses, the sound is more that of Liam Gallagher.

Feel was Robbie’s first release from the album and is a great slow song, which starts off with just the piano for accompaniment, before the introduction of guitars, and Robbie really opening up. A real “feel good” song, and for the legions of Robbie’s fans, the sight of him in a bath for the accompanying video, only served to increase sales and propel it to No. 1.

“I just wanna feel
Real love fill the home that I live in
Cos I got too much life
Running thru my veins
Going to waste
And I need to feel
Real love and the love ever after
I can not get enough”

My favourite track on the album has to be “Something Beautiful” for purely the tune, the way Robbie sings it and the lyrics. The beginning of the song starts with Robbie’s voice, with the piano and drums for accompaniment, and then bursts into life. It’s a song about lifting yourself out of the doldrums and realising that every cloud has a silver lining.

“If you're lost, hurt, tired or lonely
Can't control it, try as you might
May you find that love that won't leave you
May you find it by the end of the day
You won't be lost, hurt, tired and lonely
Something beautiful will come your way”

Sexed Up is supposedly about Robbie’s break up with Nicole Appleton, and is quite a sad song. It starts off with a gently strumming guitar, which gets more furious as the track progresses. This is a great track and even though Robbie sounds almost bored singing it, it’s one of my firm favourites.

“Why don't we
Why don't we break up
There's nothing left to say
I got my eye shirt praying they won't stray
Oh! When I sexed up
That's what makes the difference today”

Love Somebody begins with a piano on its own, then the introduction of the guitar and Robbie’s vocals. This is more of a ballad to begin with, but it does have rock undertones. It’s Robbie at his most vulnerable, a plea for him to find someone to love, who can fill all of his criteria. The final verse has Robbie’s voice stretched to its limits, before the music fades away, the last note being a muffled drum.

Trying to love somebody
Just wanna love somebody right now
Guess there's just no pleasing me
I want to love somebody
Just want to love somebody right now
Baby lay your love on me

Monsoon is a great track, and starts off by Robbie telling us that he has done some pretty stupid things in his time. The track then erupts with a strong guitar riff, before reverting back to a slower version. The song tells of how celebrity makes people behave in a very different way towards you. It should be mentioned that this could be offensive to anyone called Sharon or Michelle. A wonderful track with a rock feel.

Overall, this is a stunning album, consisting of more slower numbers than rock and roll, although there’s some of that too, but I have come to the conclusion that although Robbie may be off the drugs, he is still totally hyper, full of himself and arrogant :-) and that is never going to change.

Bad language prevails through this album, just a warning in case you have impressionable aged children in the house. However apart from a couple of naff tracks, this has got to be one of my favourite albums. Robbie at his absolute best, with songs ranging from ballads to some stonking good tunes.

All lyrics copyright the artist.