Catchy Song, Incredibly Twisted Video
Written: May 30 '04 (Updated May 30 '04)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Great original mix and fine supporting material...
Cons: It's a single...
The Bottom Line: Robbie William is still rather unknown in America. I guess not enough people have heard Rock DJ now years after it was released.
|
|
|
| lambchops's Full Review: Rock DJ - Robbie Williams Movies |
While not a household name in the United States, Robbie Williams has gained great recognition on an international scale not to mention in his native England. The former “wild” member of boy band Take That, Williams embarked on a solo career immediately following the disintegration of the group in early 1996.
Never afraid to test the boundaries of pop music, Williams has to date released a number of albums ranging from new material to covers of traditional American swing/jazz/pop tunes. Still he’s only occasionally landed on US charts despite his incredible popularity around the world. His songs Millennium, Angels, Rock DJ and most recently Feel are as close as he’s come. That selection of songs is enough to show he is a diverse, strange sort of pop singer. See, listeners are hard pressed to figure out what he’ll next come out with. Millennium is a smooth, coy track while Angels is a beautiful and rousing ballad.
In 2000, Williams made it incredibly clear that he wasn’t for the common pop listener. The song Rock DJ managed to hit American charts and almost simultaneously landed on MTV with a unique video. In fact, it was that video that first introduced me to the song. Needless to say I was immediately drawn to the clearly slightly off-kilter Brit. The song itself is funny, aurally pleasing, and catchy. Williams has a wonderful, boyish quality to his voice which translates well to the infectious, radio-ready hit.
The repeating chorus is memorable:
I don’t’ wanna rock, DJ
But you’re making me feel so nice
When’s it gonna stop, DJ?
Cos you’re keeping me up all night
But if it wasn’t for the chanted verses it would be just regular Robbie Williams offering. I adore his presentation and for that matter the aforementioned video associated with the song. Of course, I seriously doubt in this age of censorship and “decency” that MTV will ever again air the video. If you don’t remember it, maybe you will remember my description. Williams is standing in the center of a small roller rink. He is encircled by scantily clad women on skates. Williams progresses to first strip down to nothing. And then, well, he peels off his skin, tissue and muscles which he then proceeds to toss out to the now adoring women-folk—some of which go on to have a bit of a snack. Sounds gross? Probably, but I find it to be incredibly hilarious in a rather sick and twisted sort of way.
The single of Rock DJ also includes a tender non-album ballad titled Talk to Me. Williams is a chameleon able to take on one persona one moment and switch immediately to another for the next. Williams has in the past recorded much better ballads so I don’t believe the Rock DJ single should be considered necessarily because of the non-album material.
The final inclusion is a club mix of Rock DJ. It’s a frenetic, throbbing dance track. Of course, there never was any question that the single had that potential. I personally like the more concise and melodic original, but fans of Williams not to mention his club remixes will certainly be pleased with the inclusion of this track.
Robbie Williams really deserves more attention in the United States. However, since he’s difficult to classify and inherently strange he probably won’t ever gain a wide audience here. Heck, he’s the kind of singer that does almost everything with his tongue firmly lodged in his cheek. I much prefer the albums from Williams. My favorites to date have been Life Thru a Lens and Sing When You’re Winning not to mention the compilation The Ego Has Landed but I think all of his discs have something special to offer to most fans of nearly-mainstream pop music.
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. Rock DJ
02. Talk to Me
03. Rock DJ (Player One Remix)
To see the video for Rock DJ check out the link below:
http://www.robbiewilliams.com/music_fr.html
________________________
Related Review:
The Ego Has Landed (1999)
http://www.epinions.com/content_61398027908
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
lambchops
|
 in Music |
 - Top 50 |
|
Member: Shelly T.
Location: Metro Detroit, Michigan
Reviews written: 1170
Trusted by: 843 members
About Me:
I have hope.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.