I Don't Remember Ever Growing Up - Andy Williams

Advantages: Erm.............things can only get better!!!
Disadvantages: Many of the tracks are poor

...As I start this review I have to make it clear that I am a Robbie Williams fan. My better half and I saw him live in Paris last year and it was, undoubtedly, the finest 2 hours of live entertainment and showmanship that I have ever seen. He is, without question, the finest performer and "popstar" that the UK has produced in the last twenty years, building a career on musicality, pop songs and performance, which is why "Rudebox" seems to have been a genuinely bad idea!! It's a departure into electro-pop, hip-hop and rap that is as unwelcome as it is unconvincing, and I worry that Robbie is starting to sink with his demons again! It is backed up with unusual images of Robbie in tracksuits, staring at us with hip-hop "attitude". The Background Robbie Williams' meteoric rise to stardom with Take That, the apparent acrimony behind... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: The voice
Disadvantages: None

...the album, This is a wonderful ballad which shows how well he constructs a song. His voice sounds amazing all the way through the different parts of this song. **Track Listing** "Don't Give Up on Me" (Dan Penn, Carson Whitsett, Hoy Lindsey) "Fast Train" (Van Morrison) "Diamond in Your Mind" (Tom Waits/Kathleen Brennan) "Flesh and Blood" (Joe Henry) "Soul Searchin'" (Brian Wilson, Andy Paley) "Only a Dream" (Van Morrison) "The Judgment" (Elvis Costello, Cait O'Riordan) "Stepchild" (Bob Dylan) "The Other Side of the Coin" (Nick Lowe) "None of Us Are Free" (Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Brenda Russell) "Sit This One Out" (Pick Purnell) **Overall verdict** This is a very fine album indeed which makes the idea of a writers collective album more and more appealing. Solomon Burke is one of the finest singers the world has... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Quirky and original, both witty and touching, Ben Folds
Disadvantages: Not to everyone's taste, I'm told the other albums weren't so good so you might not be able to build up a great BF5 collection

...to like this kind of music don’t I? But in fact the album isn't depressing at all, there's too many uplifting songs on it for it to be earmarked as dull, and in this case, it's hard to work out whose fault the break-up is: "You've done me no favour to call and be nice / telling me I can take anything I like / you don't owe me to be so polite / you've done no wrong, you've done no wrong, get out of my sight." With strings and more layered drums this has a thicker texture than you'd expect but by now if you've got the album you should have noticed that the acoustics seem more "Real" and not digitally imposed and there's a reason for that, this being that the album was recorded live in Ben Folds's living room - he apparently saved up enough money from the sales of the first album to be able to afford all the equipment he needed for a home... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful