Rudebox

With the help of producer/songwriters William Orbit, Mark Ronson, Jerry Meehan, Joey Negro and Soul Mekanik (plus guests as diverse as The Pet Shop Boys and Lily Allen), Robbie Williams has achieved a most radical transformation. Gone is the slick, pop-rogue of yesteryear: in his place is a new Robbie that raps, embraces club beats and (mostly) favours personal indulgence over cheesy, universal pop. Recent single "Rudebox", all electronic riddims and slack-rap vocal delivery, was just the start of this transition. The rest of Rudebox completes the remarkable overhaul with several eclectic covers - from Manu Chau's "Bongo Bong" and Lewis Taylor's underground classic "Lovelight," to subversive takes on The Human League ("Louise"), My Robot Friend ("We're The Pet Shop Boys") and Stephen Duffy ("Kiss Me") – and tracks such as "Keep On", "Good Doctor" and "Dickhead", which confirm his quite bewildering quest to becoming a comedic, Staffs-accented version of The Streets.

Slightly more serious are his attempts at what he describes as 'wonky pop'. Songs like "Viva Life On Mars", his odd ode to Madonna ("She's Madonna"), the dark "The Actor" and catchy club-hit-in-waiting "Never Touch That Switch" all feature innovative production and interesting arrangements. Toward the end, we get "The 80s" and "The 90s", two more amusing "rap"-tracks that cover the singer's adolescence and his Take That years respectively; these underline the nostalgic, end-of-an-era feel of the LP. Audaciously eclectic and admirably upfront, Rudebox is overtly a form of personal catharsis. Not all the experiments work, but they're better than you might think, and now they're off his chest it'll be interesting to see where the new Robbie Williams heads to next.--Paul Sullivan

There's been much speculation about Robbie's new direction since the release of "Rudebox" the single, but "Rudebox" the single isn't typical of Rudebox the album. In fact, nothing is. It's an eclectic mix of pop ballads, disco, 80s electronica, noughties poetic rap, with a touch of hip hop and a twinge of country.

William Orbit and Soul Mekanik productions sit with a funky reworking of Manu Chao's "Bongo Bong/Je Ne T'aime Plus" (one of two tracks to feature Lily Allen), a replica of the Human League's "Louise", and a cover with the Pet Shop Boys on a cover about the Pet Shop Boys. Confused? It's a confusing album. There are a couple of tracks that wash over you but the album's a grower and some of the hooks will follow you around for hours. "Good Doctor", a tongue-in-cheek take on drugs, has bags of energy and the Stephen Duffy "Kiss Me" is brilliant. 'She's Madonna' ('I love you baby, but face it she's Madonna') is a weird but fun tune about Queen Madge.

He bares his soul in a pair of melodic Streets-esque raps - "The 80s" is a captivating tale of his school years, while "The 90s" offers an intriguing, honest account of his life in Take That.

"Summertime" is old-school Robbie - a great pop song - and would be a lovely end to this 74 minute rollercoaster but there's a bonus track, "Dickhead", which more than explains the Parental Advisory stamp. --Julie Broadfoot

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titolo-rudeboxartista-robbie williams etichetta-capitoln. dischi1data-20 ottobre 2006supporto-cd audiogenere-pop e rock internazionale---- brani1.rudebox2.viva life on mars3.lovelight4.king of the bongo5.she's madonna6.keep on7.good doctor9.never touch that switch10.louise11.were the pet shop boys12.burslem normals13.kiss me14.the 80's15.summertime16.dickhead (hidden track)17.dickhea