Posted November 2, 201212 yr A selection here. Good, bad, indifferent, downright nasty. I get the feeling a couple of these journos wrote their blurb without actually listening to the album... However, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/c...bum-review.html A so-so 3/5 http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/nov/0...he-crown-review A good 4/5 http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/g4nv Kind of ok. I think. :unsure: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/albumrev...bum-review.html A good 4/5 http://www.contactmusic.com/album-review/r...-take-the-crown (Think Noel Gallagher wrote this one <_< ) http://www.virginmedia.com/music/reviews/r...e-the-crown.php An average 3/5 http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/355724...Robbie-Williams A grudging 3/5
November 2, 201212 yr It got his usual 3/5 in Q but Uncut gave it a very good 7/10 and they are a lot more credible than Q these days :lol: The Sun gave it 4/5 today too. :lol:
November 2, 201212 yr The Financila Times gave a dreadful review, however I very much doubt they even went to the trouble of listening to the album but who cares anyway, I think it will do very well on it's own & Robbie seems up for the promo. The O2 show on Sky will be do wonders for the album & I will bet that Robbie will be on fire that night :w00t:
November 3, 201212 yr Why things are looking up for Robbie Williams The bad boy of pop is back with his first solo album since the Take That reunion, writes John Meagher Flynn Francis and Tim Metcalfe are, in the words of Robbie Williams, "two young spunks from Melbourne". They are completely unknown in this part of the world. Yet, the songwriting and production duo who call themselves The Undercolours play a major role in Williams' ninth album, Take the Crown, which is released today. Eight of the songs were penned by the pair, who are both 24, and the ex-Take That man has been effusive in his praise: "They're f***ing amazing, really talented songwriters. Completely and utterly delusional, full of ego. They remind me of someone I used to know when I was their age." Williams may be just 38, but he is a veteran of 22 years in the music industry. Take the Crown is his attempt to recapture some of the glory he enjoyed when he quit Take That and became -- for a fleeting period -- arguably the biggest male solo star on the planet. More recently, his fortunes have fluctuated wildly, although his willingness to court controversy remains close to the surface. In the past week alone, he has spoken about missing out on sex with his one-time collaborator Kylie Minogue, lambasted the quality of the performances on The X Factor and has suggested that all is not well in the court of One Direction. His talent for making headlines began shortly after joining Take That when he was just 16. His willingness to shoot from the lip brought him into conflict with the band's manager Nigel Martin Smith when Williams quit after five years. But few could have imagined that the figure who had played second fiddle to Gary Barlow in a manufactured boy band would be able to reinvent himself so spectacularly. By the end of the 1990s Williams was ensuring the EMI bigwigs were enjoying Christmas bonuses. As the 2000s dawned it looked like the boy from Stoke-on-Trent could do no wrong. Yet, as the acclaimed biography, Feel, made clear, Williams was battling demons. Drug-addiction, alcohol-dependency and depression threatened to tip him over the edge. Williams -- his weight fluctuating wildly -- became a staple for the tabloid newspapers. Despite his personal problems, Williams continued to shift albums. I saw him at the height of his powers in Berlin in 2005. I was part of an Irish delegation among some 400 music journalists brought to the city to see the star give a press conference. The following day, his prowess as a consummate live performer was plain for all to see at the Velodrome. His well-documented troubles seemed far away. But such a juggling act would prove impossible to maintain. In 2006, everything that could go wrong did. His experimental album Rudebox was a critical and commercial failure and the media gleefully reported that unsold copies were being used to pave streets in China. And he appeared to have something of a meltdown on stage at Croke Park. So poor was his performance that he promised to return to Dublin to perform a free gig. Six years later, he played the O2 with proceeds donated to children's charities. He has enjoyed stability of sorts in recent years. He married the American actress Ayda Field in 2010 and rejoined the reformed Take That the same year. In September, Williams and Field had their first child, daughter Theodora Rose. And last month he was in Dublin to launch a line of menswear called Farrell, inspired by his Irish grandfather who emigrated to England to work as a navvy. Whether or not Take the Crown can return Williams to the glory days of old remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure: in a world of beige pop stars, Robbie will remain as gloriously opinionated and divisive as ever. Read John Meagher's review of Take the Crown on page 16 of Day & Night Irish Independent
November 3, 201212 yr 3.5 * / 5 Optimism reigns ... Robbie Williams indulges his talent for infectious pop. A decade ago, returning from the under-appreciated ''irony years'' albums of the '90s with the straightforward rock of All that You Can't Leave Behind, Bono declared that U2 were back to reclaim their crown. Robbie Williams is doing a U2. His irony years culminated in the under-appreciated experiments of Rudebox and the halfway-there response of Reality Killed the Video Star. For the first time in a long time he seems keen to reclaim his crown as the king of British music. The first single, Candy, is a joyful confection of Caribbean resort swing, brass/percussion energy and an irresistible chorus. But Williams has had brilliantly infectious pop moments on even the ''difficult'' albums, and the real evidence comes in the solid middle of songs that live between pop, rock and, well, U2. Certainly Hunting for You and Into the Silence have Edge guitar figures and the chorus of Gospel rises and rises in Chris Martin fashion. And there's the Coldplay stride-with-unison-voices of Be a Boy, the rousing-the-terraces lift of the near-ballad Different (written with Take That buddy Gary Barlow) and the Keane-like piano push of Not Like the Others. Take the Crown - Robbie Williams Not all the recent past is gone, however. Shit on the Radio has Van Halen keyboards with a middle eight that hints at 2005's nutty Trippin' and the electro-dance of All that I Want is a reminder of one of Rudebox's obsessions. But outright ballads are gone, and self-loathing is gone, too. Optimism reigns, love is all around and maybe Robbie Williams can be king again. Advertisement LIKE THIS? TRY THESE Keane, Hopes and Fears; Take That, Progress. ROBBIE WILLIAMS Take the Crown (Universal) theage.com.au
November 3, 201212 yr Take the Crown is an imperfect comeback for Robbie Williams Nick Levine - nice honest review :) Nov 3, 2012 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If a young singer just starting out named his album Take the Crown, it would seem presumptuous. But from Robbie Williams, this is a pertinent choice, because for a long time he held that coveted coronet. In 1995, when he left Britain's biggest pop group, Williams was written off by just about everyone. He was the popular rebel in Take That, but not the group's songwriter or lead singer. There were rumours of drug abuse, which Williams himself later confirmed, and he seemed more interested in partying than the pop charts. But over the next decade, Robbie Williams established himself as one of the biggest solo stars around. He never cracked America, but became a platinum-selling artist nearly everywhere else. Williams was a natural showman, a compelling mix of ego and vulnerability. He wrote some of the defining pop songs of the times with his songwriting partner Guy Chambers. In 2005, his signature ballad Angels was voted the best British single of the past 25 years, beating hits by Kate Bush, Elton John and George Michael. In November 2005, Williams broke a world record by selling 1.6 million concert tickets in a single day. Yet just 12 months later, he was facing up to his first flop record. Of course, flop is a relative term here. His 2006 LP Rudebox, a riskier collection of dance-influenced songs, was still one of the year's top 20 sellers in the United Kingdom, but it failed to match the success of his previous efforts. Two years later, it was reported that Williams' record label had shipped a million unsold Rudebox CDs to China to be recycled and used in road resurfacing. When his crown slipped, Williams considered quitting the music business. "I didn't really care about my career in 2006," he recalled recently. "I just felt incredibly lethargic and like I couldn't live up to the requirements of being a pop star." He eventually returned in 2009 with a new album called Reality Killed the Video Star. Its title was a classic example of Robbie Williams wordplay, and many critics hailed it as a comeback, but Williams has since dismissed the record. This September, he told the BBC that he chose not to tour that year because he "wasn't into [the album] that much". Williams' salvation came when he decided to return to his musical roots, taking what he calls a "busman's holiday". In a cruel twist of fate, while his career was on the wane, the rest of Take That had reunited without him and staged a remarkable comeback. Their 2008 album The Circus went seven times platinum in the UK - the level of success Williams had got used to before Rudebox flopped. At the height of his solo career, Williams wasn't always complimentary about Take That. He had a notoriously fraught relationship with one band member, Gary Barlow, who had been the group's musical driving force, much to Williams' frustration. But in 2010, past grievances were set aside and Williams rejoined Take That for a successful new album. A spin-off tour followed in 2011, selling 1.8 million tickets across Europe. Touring with his old band mates proved to be the boost that Williams needed. During each show, he got to perform a 30-minute solo set featuring a selection of his own hits. "Going out there every night, just me for that little bit of time, and seeing the reaction of the crowd, that gave me the confidence to do the solo stuff now," he said recently. At this point, feeling re-energised, Robbie Williams could have chosen to write a new solo album with anyone he wanted. Ever the maverick, he plumped for a virtually unknown Australian duo called The Undercolours, an act he discovered through his brother-in-law. He flew them to his LA home, and in just eight days the bulk of a new album had been written. The Undercolours are university students who still live with their parents, and Williams says he responded to their "fortuitous blend of youth, naivete and hope". Sniffing a hit, Williams brought in producer Jacknife Lee to give his new album a stadium-sized sound. And to write the catchy lead single, Candy, he teamed up with his Take That bandmate Gary Barlow. Rather sweetly, Williams now describes his former nemesis as the "older brother I'm looking for approval from". Today, with the album about to come out, Robbie Williams is clearly thinking big. In a recent interview the singer declared: "I want to dominate the charts. I want to take on the world. I want to be a top pop star … it's called Take the Crown for that reason." As ever, it's hard not to admire his audacity. Williams opens the album with a swaggering Killers-style anthem called Be a Boy, whose lyrics read like a statement of intent. "They said it was leaving me, the magic was leaving me, I don't think so," he sings on the chorus. Later in the song, just in case there are lingering doubts, Williams adds: "I can make this last forever." He maintains this confidence on many of the songs that follow. All That I Want sees Williams play the Lothario over a grinding disco-rock backing. Not Like the Others is a stomper that recalls the Britpop sound of the 1990s. And on a song called Gospel, Williams raises a glass to those "who always wish me well" - before advising those who haven't to do something unprintable. However, he's not all bluster and bravado here. Different is the grandest-sounding song on the album, but the lyrics are laced with self-doubt. "This time I'll be better I want you to know, this time I'll be special, oh God make it so," goes the chorus. Is he singing to a girlfriend he's let down in the past, or is this a message to his fans? The album ends with Losers, a song about self-acceptance which Williams records as a duet with folk singer Lissie. "I don't care about being a winner, or being smooth with women, or going out on Fridays, or being the life of parties," he sings here. It's hardly the first time that a pop star has renounced his frivolous past, but the execution is affecting nonetheless. Take the Crown is nowhere near a perfect album. By now, Williams should have outgrown writing throwaway songs like Hey Wow Yeah Yeah, which sounds like a Pink cast-off. At other times, his voice sounds a bit ragged, perhaps a by-product of years spent chain-smoking. And though he's older and wiser, Williams remains a frustrating lyricist. He's capable of being poignant and witty, but sometimes seems to pair words together just because they sound good. Candy, a song about a spoilt rich girl, features this verse of pure nonsense: "Ring a ring of roses, whoever gets the closest, she comes and she goes, as the war of the roses." Then again, there's something reassuring about these flaws. The appeal of Robbie Williams never lay in perfection, even at his peak. In a way, it's the little mishaps on this generally very good album that make it feel like a genuine comeback. Nick Levine is a freelance music journalist based in London. thenational.uea Edited November 3, 201212 yr by Sydney
November 3, 201212 yr It got his usual 3/5 in Q but Uncut gave it a very good 7/10 and they are a lot more credible than Q these days :lol: Do you have these magazines? Could you scan these reviews or take photos, please? :)
November 3, 201212 yr Do you have these magazines? Could you scan these reviews or take photos, please? :) I do not have Uncut Betterman , Its great to see an important music magazine giving such a high mark 7 / 10 , terrific really. . I picked it up when I was in the book store yesterday evening & read the review but if I am in there again in the morning I will get a copy if they still have it.
November 3, 201212 yr http://i50.tinypic.com/2lj51xh.jpg TAKE THE CROWN ISLAND - ALBUM REVIEW - UNCUT A surprisingly good return to machine-tooled pop 7 / 10 Robbie learned from last two LPs that no-one wants to hear him confront his mid-life crisis while dabbling in whimsical French electro or post modern tributes to Madonna and the Pet Shop Boys. To this end ,producer Jacknife Lee and primary writers Tim Metcalfe and Flynn Francis have concentrated on pure pop, the archness limited to the confusingly un-shit "Shit On The Radio", Gary Barlows horn-heavy "Candy" is the pick, but the song writing is impressive throughout, particularly the Beck-like "Hey Wow Yeah Yeah", the Mowtown-ish guilty pleasure "Not Like The Others" and the definatly miserabilist folk-rock of The Bell Brigade "Losers" John Lewis UNCUT
November 4, 201212 yr Ouch !!! Kitty from the Guardian is obviously not a Robbie fan then ::) TAKT THE CROWN - ALBUM REVIEW - RATING 2 / 5 http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/nov/0...he-crown-review
November 4, 201212 yr "He has showbiz genes tempered with unpredictability and a fascinating, unlikely openness " William refuses to be musically pigeon-holed ;) TAKE THE CROWN - ALBUM REVIEW - RATING 3 / 5 http://www.theartsdesk.com/new-music/cd-ro...iams-take-crown
November 4, 201212 yr http://i50.tinypic.com/2lj51xh.jpg TAKE THE CROWN ISLAND - ALBUM REVIEW - UNCUT A surprisingly good return to machine-tooled pop 7 / 10 .... Thank you! That's enough
November 4, 201212 yr Author Another quite good review here http://www.birminghammail.net/lifestyle/sh...-crown---285444
November 5, 201212 yr & a right sh*t one from some woman at the Scotsman :angry: http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/music/ne...crown-1-2614090
November 5, 201212 yr 05/11/2012 11:36 Robbie Williams vs JLS: whose new album is better !! Is 38 year-old Robbie Williams still relevant? Have JLS lost their X Factor? !! We put their respective new albums head-to-head to find out... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- He’s a 90s-boy-band-veteran-turned-best-selling-solo-artist, they’re a modern-day-urban-tinged-boy-band, both with albums out this week. While Robbie Williams and JLS are a generation and a musical chasm apart, their respective new releases are, to a certain extent, last throws of the dice. Is Rob’s much-hyped comeback offering relevant in the current pop climate? Radio 1 clearly don’t think so, having declared him, at 38, “too old” for the station. And have the naughty-Noughties twenty-somethings lost their X factor now they’re being outsold by the likes of One Direction and The Wanted? Keep reading as we put Robbie's Take The Crown head-to-head with JLS' Evolution... LEAD SINGLES: Island Robbie Williams: Take The Crown RW - Candy Rob really needed to come out swinging with his comeback single and Candy was the obvious choice to make people sit up and go “What the…?” before being unexpectedly lured into the ‘hey ho’-ing of the catchy chorus. Bonkers, upbeat and unabashedly colourful pop, it’s a departure from his usual territory but an attention-grabber nonetheless and now a chart-topping hit. Though we do feel he’s a bit old for this kind of thing, it seems to have worked. JLS – Hottest Girl in the World The introductory falsetto is arresting, in a good way, then the drop-it-like-it’s-hot bassy R&B beats fold into the sexy, sassy vocal stylings of Aston and co. “It’s a Justin Timberlake rip-off!” some have said, but we would disagree - they’ve certainly been influenced by old-school JT, but it’s a package wrapped in a distinctly JLS-esque ribbon. A pretty good reflection of the overall sound of the album, and one of the best tracks from it. OUR FAVOURITE ALBUM SONGS (apart from the lead singles): RW: Different Like old-style RW, this track is simple and brilliant. A soaring, epic power-pop anthem. We can envision mass, loud singalongs to the chorus of this one. Losers – Featuring Lissie, this is a bit different and it works wonderfully. A stripped-back instrumental and country-esque boy/girl harmonies are coupled with typically witty lyricism to make this a standout track – not a single contender but a hidden gem on the LP. Contenders for single releases: Different, Hunting For You and Not Like the Others. JLS: I Like It – Creeping mid-tempo R&B, with a catchy melodic chorus and great harmonies. Could definitely give the American crooners a run for their money. Give Me Life – Harder electro-tinged pop/R&B with attitude. Dark and punchy with cool energy made for dancefloors. Contenders for single releases: Have Your Way, Give Me Life, Troublemaker. Epic JLS: Evolution NOT-SO-GOOD ALBUM SONGS: RW: Hey Wow Yeah Yeah - Sounds like it should be an interlude. The rocky instrumental could have been put to better use – it sounds like an unfinished song. JLS Dessert – Some people are going to love this song. We can’t stand it. The metaphorical lyrics are a bit much – it opens with ‘Girl, you’re looking like a menu, everything on you looks good to me’ OVERALL SOUND: RW: As a pop veteran on his ninth solo album, Robbie needed to mix things up quite a bit in order to stay fresh and relevant. Suitably modern synth-pop tunes sit alongside the brash brass of Candy and some good old power-pop songs of the sort Rob absolutely revels in. There are many references to youth and age throughout the record, particularly in the first few tracks, which make you contemplate his relative elderliness more than you need to – and they’re also rather dull. Saying that, there are some obviously massive singles on this LP, none of which sound like Candy, which isn’t reflective of the overall sound of the album at all. JLS: After leaning heavily towards UK/Euro dance music on their previous albums, the X Factor graduates have delved head-first into a smouldering pit of US-centric R&B - a falsetto-fest with a smattering of electronic edge - for album number four. Unlike Robbie’s offering, Evolution is sonically consistent throughout and feels less scatty as a result. There are a couple of real stinkers on there though, where JLS fall into overly-cheesy territory and songs that sound like they’ve been done before. Was this album made with a US invasion in mind? Quite likely. Will they succeed with said invasion? It’s hard to tell. Some of the purer modern R&B tracks have the potential to cross boundaries and position the band as grown-up and ‘credibly urban’ rather than the nice, young pop star lads off that TV talent show. VERDICT:Neither album quite lives up to the hype BUT they’re both pretty good. The worst songs on the JLS record are worse than Robbie’s poorest efforts, but overall their album is better – they have indeed ‘evolved’. It doesn’t feel like Robbie has ‘Taken the Crown’ but the few big pop singles here (the kind he is known so well for) eclipse anything on the JLS album and will probably be huge sellers too. Album win: JLS Singles win: Robbie Williams Msn.music.uk . Edited November 5, 201212 yr by Sydney
November 9, 201212 yr Author & a right sh*t one from some woman at the Scotsman :angry: http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/music/ne...crown-1-2614090 I wouldn't worry about the Scotsman. It's the most depressing, sour, negative paper I've ever encountered. I'm convinced the editor is the Rev I.M. Jolly (youtube it). Still,at the rate it is losing readers it'll go bust soon enough. And that'll give them something else to moan about... :rolleyes:
November 9, 201212 yr I wouldn't worry about the Scotsman. It's the most depressing, sour, negative paper I've ever encountered. I'm convinced the editor is the Rev I.M. Jolly (youtube it). Still,at the rate it is losing readers it'll go bust soon enough. And that'll give them something else to moan about... :rolleyes: That's good to know :lol:
