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Elly Roberts reviews
Chrysalis (Capitol) EMI
- Cat.no: 0946 3 41823 2 4
- Released: October 2005
- Rating: 2/10
Intensive Care went straight in at number one, knocking the Prodigy’s hits to number two.
It comes as no surprise after all thepromo-blagging Robbie’s been doing recently. He declared it to be his bestalbum to date.
As his ego reaches new heights, the ex-Take That man isclearly suffering from delusions of grandeur. Intensive Care is no more thanan average album from an average talent, and the fans will soon realise it.
Its ‘instant hit’ success is based solely on Robbie’s continuing popularityfactor, nothing else. With his former cohort well off the scene, Stephen’Tin Tin’ Duffy bravely jumps into Guy Chambers’ shoes to save Robbie’scareer. The long awaited album’s lead single Tripping didn’t get the covetednumber one Williams desperately craved for, so he’s now reliant on thepublic to pull things together with this album. From start to finish itlacks Chambers’ midas touch. As I segue through each song, boredom quicklysets in. There isn’t an outstanding song in sight.
Chambers and Williams worked well together, releasing some half decentsongs. Here the dire songwriting lacks imagination, charm and charisma. Overthe 12 tracks he’s clearly hit an age crisis, his 30th birthday struckwhile making I.C. There’s an ironic reflection to the lyrical context as heleaves behind his laddish 20s, though his supposed musical nod the ‘1980sdoesn’t genuinely surface. Several tracks come across as laboured – RandomActs, Trouble With Me, Advertising Space are loaded with double meanings, asare others.
If Tripping, a pseudo-reggae ditty called “a mini-gangster opera” let himdown, then there’s little chance of any future number one singles.
Best of the aveargeness – a Rolling Stones sound-alike A Place To Crash anda tuneful Please Don’t Die.
Phase two of his career isn’t off to a good start.
Weblink:Robbie Williams.com
The full list of tracks included are :
1. Ghosts
2. Tripping
3. Make Me Pure
4. Spread Your Wings
5. Advertising Space
6. Please Don’t Cry
7. Your Gay Friend
8. Sin Sin Sin
9. Random Acts Of Kindness
10. The Trouble With Me
11. A Place To Crash
12. King Of Bloke And Bird
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.