lambchops's Full Review: The Ego Has Landed by Robbie Williams
File this one under guilty pleasures.
Once again, taking my sister’s ever-loving advice (and forgiving her for Catatonia), I decided to pick up another of her recommendations. This time, the album is purely pop. Fun, energetic, and lyrically catchy Robbie Williams is the epitome of what can be right with pop music in general.
Where Robbie goes right is where all too many pop artists go very, very wrong. He doesn’t take himself too seriously despite have a truly wonderful voice. And, the fact that he actually acts on his writing ability is an added bonus. These attributes are key to what separates him distinctly from so many other singers with a pretty face and questionable singing prowess.
Williams came to be known as part of British boy band Take That. Popular the world over except for stateside, the group gained momentum throughout the early 1990’s until they split in 1996. At that time, Williams picked up and began to work on his own eventually releasing 1997’s instantly popular Life Through A Lens. The album initially was snatched off the shelves by eager teenyboppers pining away for the Williams they knew so when from Take That. What these girlies got was something entirely different. Something smarter, more diverse, and much more humorous.
1998’s I’ve Been Expecting You was also an instantaneous success. Still, Williams was completely unknown in the U.S. This lack of exposure was directly attributable to the fact that his first two solo albums weren’t even released stateside. Once again, the album proved rather musically impressive yet still retained the edge and humor that defines Williams.
So finally, along came 1999’s The Ego Has Landed. The album, containing six songs from his debut and eight from his followup effort, proved a hit for the unlikely Brit. As a simple compilation (and a premature one, at that), The Ego Has Landed could have been more difficultly paced and a rough cross-section. Fortunately, the album was very appealing from the get go thanks to some lovely pop ballads and equally lovely up-tempo sing alongs.
Something about this album feels very, very wrong. Yet, somehow I find myself drawn to Williams who sounds very much like a young Elton John. Two songs from The Ego Has Landed are the most memorable to people less familiar with Williams. Millennium and Angels represent two very different poles in the artist’s modest repertoire.
Millennium is a wry, intelligent, and somewhat arrogant ode to the end of the last thousand years. The orchestral elements mixed with electronic, upbeat pop and the infinitely catchy melody are all brilliant. But, it’s the sample from the James Bond theme for You Only Live Twice that really sets the mood. Don’t get me wrong…this is pop music. It just happens to be more viable than the great majority of the crap that young US groups and pseudo-singers slap onto their overall mediocre records.
On the other end of Williams’ musical spectrum is Angels. First and foremost, let this be known. I don’t like ballads as a rule, but I’m a sucker for a truly good ballad. Light pianos back the talented singer’s refreshing vocals. It seems that William sings the song with a tear in his eye and on his heart. Triumphant and loving, Angels is what a ballad should be.
As with many albums of this sort, the majority of the great tracks are on the first half. Although, it’s important to note that this entire album is worth a listen. There’s not one song that strikes me as particularly useless or difficult.
I adore Win Some, Lose Some, and for that matter the music and guitars that accompany Williams’ lovely vocals. He is certainly more talented that most Americans are willing to give him credit for. Let Me Entertain You is a ridiculous jump into the strange world of horns, pianos, and metal guitars. Sounding like the bastard child of Queen and Roger Daltrey, Williams wails away at a song that seems destined for sporting events for years to come.
Strong wallows around in the waters around Oasis. In fact, it seems that Williams is doing a really great job at imitating the Gallagher brothers. That formula could really end up sounding like a cliché. Instead, the overall feeling is that of something new and at times exceptionally creative. An homage to an aging pop star, the track is littered with cultural references…even to Oprah Winfrey and Ricki Lake.
The rock guitars that define Old Before I Die help to make it yet another standout track. I continue to be impressed by Williams and his innate ability to morph into what seems like a dozen different personas. He’s a talented man…even if he sticks to mainstream pop.
The cover of She’s The One from World Party is also a delicate, understated ballad. Williams really hasn’t ever sounded better than he does on this here.
This is an impressive album, but because of the fact it essentially mashes two earlier albums together to make it more palatable for Americans it lacks the momentum of the other releases. I can’t imagine an album of this nature representing such a young career being any better. The fourteen tracks can all stand individually, but together it’s a powerhouse of an album. For no other reason except for the aforementioned pacing problems and the fact I want to encourage people to buy either Life Through A Lens or I’ve Been Expecting You I am giving this album 4/5 stars. Williams really has a great thing going for him. Musical talent mixed with rich vocals will hopefully lead this guy to continued musical success.
Track Listing:
1. Lazy Days
2. Millennium
3. No Regrets
4. Strong
5. Angels
6. Win Some, Lose Some
7. Let Me Entertain You
8. Jesus in a Camper Van
9. Old Before I Die
10. Killing Me
11. Man Machine
12. She’s the One
13. Karma Killer
14. One of God’s Better People/Poem
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