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Dom Robinson reviews
Sing When You’re Winning
Chrysalis Records
- Released: August 28th 2000
- Running time: 52 minutes
- Dom’s rating : 1/10
Track Listing
- 1. Let Love Be Your Energy
- 2. Better Man
- 3. Rock DJ
- 4. Supreme
- 5. Kids
- 6. If It’s Hurting You
- 7. Singing For The Lonely
- 8. Love Calling Earth
- 9. Knutsford City Limits
- 10. Forever Texas
- 11. By All Means Necessary
- 12. The Road To Mandalay
Sing When You’re Winningis Robbie Williams‘ third solo album since leaving Take That,the title having been seen as a dig against his ex-boy-band-mate GaryBarlow, who certainly isn’t winning these days after having a secondsolo album that did even more badly than Nik Kershaw‘s exceptional1986 album, Radio Musicola leaving the concert-canceller to be dumped by hisrecord company.
When Robbie left Take That on July 18th, 1995, the day I started my currenttop-secret 9-5 job, it signalled the beginning of the end for the not-so-fabfive. Of the solo stars who would emerge the winner as they each wenttheir separate ways? As Robbie’s singles began to sell less and less, it lookedlike the aforementioned Le Barlow would do the business, especially as he hadthe first No.1 of the lot with Forever Love, while Robbie’sFreedom stalled at No.2.
However, as time progressed, a last throw of the dice from Robbie’s recordcompany saw the ballad, Angels, released to an unsuspecting public andit grew to be one of his fans biggest ever singles in terms of the coverage itreceived.
Having reached the top of the album charts with both Life Thru a Lensand I’ve Been Expecting You, his solo singles chart history to August2000 follows, although the only track I really like is No Regrets,while Lazy Days and South of the Border are definitely listenable.I can’t stand most of the rest though including Millennium, Strongand Rock DJ.
Aug 96No. 2FreedomApr 97No. 2Old Before I Die
Jul 97No. 8Lazy Days
Sep 97No.14South of the Border
Dec 97No. 5Angels
Mar 98No. 3Let Me Entertain You
Sep 98No. 1Millennium
Dec 98No. 4No Regrets/Antmusic
Mar 99No. 4Strong
Nov 99No. 1She’s The One/It’s Only Us
Aug 00No. 1Rock DJ
Click on any of the above highlighted links to access my music chartanalysis for the week in which it was at that position.
The album begins with Let Love Be Your Energy, a mid-tempo effortthat sounds like he’s trying to out-Beatles Oasis. However, itdoesn’t really seem to go anywhere and meanders along with no realpurpose or knowledge of its direction, with meaningless lines like :“Daddy where’s the sun gone from the sky, what did we do wrong, why didit die and if you’ve got no love for me then I’ll say goodbye”.
Better Man is a slower song and the only possible candidate for a futuresingle release, but what’s with the ridiculous, pandering phrases that makehim sound oh-so-religious like: “Lord I’m doin’ all I can, to be a betterman” ? Purlease!
The first single from the album, Rock DJ, which made No.1 in its firstweek of release was much-trumpeted because of the video in which he stripsoff his clothes and then his skin (that part only shown after 9pm) andwas much-hyped because of his supposed relationship with ex-Spice-slapperGeri Halliwell. The song itself actually stinks to high heaven andsounds more and more like he wants to be the new George Michael. The lyricsare complete bollocks and he admitted this himself.
Not so much overtones of the disco classic I Will Survive are seento appear throughout the fourth track Supreme, rather the ripping offof the instrumental riff from said tune, but it lacks the same energy andrather plods along.
I had high hopes for Kids, it being a duet with assistance fromKylie Minogue, but what intends to be a funky affair soon dissipatesinto a mesh of bog-standard guitar groans and dance beats to cave your skullin with.
To close the first half of the album Robbie digs out his acoustic guitarfor If It’s Hurting You. It’s about dumping someone and although it’sa moderately quiet track, it screams “Tonight Matthew, I’m going toattempt to be Paul Weller”.
Starting into the second half and we’re on the home straight. However, all Ican say about Singing For The Lonely was that it was more up-tempothan most of the rest of the songs on display, it was mind-numbingly repetitiveand I couldn’t wait for it to end.
Robbie goes all softly-spoken for the slow Love Calling Earth.At this point I’m starting to fall asleep.
Knutsford City Limits is a perfect continuing example of how hejust wants to take ideas from other places and turn them around to use themfor his own advantage. A mid-tempo track that’s nothing like the Tina Turnersong you thought it would be, not only does it bastardise the name of thattune, but also a Don Henley one with the chorus line, “New York’shad its minute”.
Forever Texas is so-called because of the line, “Give me Texaswisdom”. I presume only he knows whatever that means. Thankfully itdoes not go on forever.
Obviously Robbie’s had a bitter experience with a woman, as if meeting GeriHalliwell wasn’t enough, so By All Means Necessary declares that tobe the way the girl in question will get whatever she wants. Ho hum.
A simple up-beat number entitled The Road To Mandalay closes thealbum and is the only one I’d be particularly fussed to hear again. It’svery much a road-trip-type track, but while it’s a far cry from beingoutstanding it still kicks the rest of the album into a cocked hat.
Finally – yes there’s more – the album length is 76 minutes, but after thefull 52 you’ll get nothing but silence until the last few seconds when,after presumingly having done this beforehand, the tinny words are heardsaying “No, I’m not doing one on this album”. Oh, Robbie, you are awag.
After hearing this album it makes me wonder who Robbie’s trying to appeal to.It doesn’t have endless pop tunes on it a la Steps so that’s the teenymarket out the window and he’s opted more for guitar-based tunes, but they’reall so generic with about as much originality as a Status Quo songand today’s music lovers are looking for something more than the ordinary.
No doubt Dominic Moron in The Sun has already creamed hispants over this release, but to me Robbie’s showing a complete lack of ideasand we’ve heard it all before. So, it should sell millions then (!)
Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 2000.Also read my review of the DVD single :Robbie Williams: Angels
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.