Dom Robinson reviews

Robbie Williams
Sing When You're Winning

Distributed by
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

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Sing When You're Winning is Robbie Williams' third solo album since leaving Take That, the title having been seen as a dig against his ex-boy-band-mate Gary Barlow, who certainly isn't winning these days after having a second solo album that did even more badly than Nik Kershaw's exceptional 1986 album, Radio Musicola leaving the concert-canceller to be dumped by his record company.

When Robbie left Take That on July 18th, 1995, the day I started my current top-secret 9-5 job, it signalled the beginning of the end for the not-so-fab five. Of the solo stars who would emerge the winner as they each went their separate ways? As Robbie's singles began to sell less and less, it looked like the aforementioned Le Barlow would do the business, especially as he had the first No.1 of the lot with Forever Love, while Robbie's Freedom stalled at No.2.

However, as time progressed, a last throw of the dice from Robbie's record company saw the ballad, Angels, released to an unsuspecting public and it grew to be one of his fans biggest ever singles in terms of the coverage it received.

Having reached the top of the album charts with both Life Thru a Lens and I've Been Expecting You, his solo singles chart history to August 2000 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, Strong and Rock DJ.

Aug 96	No. 2	Freedom
Apr 97	No. 2	Old Before I Die

Jul 97	No. 8	Lazy Days

Sep 97	No.14	South of the Border

Dec 97	No. 5	Angels

Mar 98	No. 3	Let Me Entertain You

Sep 98	No. 1	Millennium

Dec 98	No. 4	No Regrets/Antmusic

Mar 99	No. 4	Strong

Nov 99	No. 1	She's The One/It's Only Us

Aug 00	No. 1	Rock DJ

Click on any of the above highlighted links to access my music chart analysis for the week in which it was at that position.

The album begins with Let Love Be Your Energy, a mid-tempo effort that sounds like he's trying to out-Beatles Oasis. However, it doesn't really seem to go anywhere and meanders along with no real purpose or knowledge of its direction, with meaningless lines like : "Daddy where's the sun gone from the sky, what did we do wrong, why did it 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 future single release, but what's with the ridiculous, pandering phrases that make him sound oh-so-religious like: "Lord I'm doin' all I can, to be a better man" ? Purlease!

The first single from the album, Rock DJ, which made No.1 in its first week of release was much-trumpeted because of the video in which he strips off his clothes and then his skin (that part only shown after 9pm) and was much-hyped because of his supposed relationship with ex-Spice-slapper Geri Halliwell. The song itself actually stinks to high heaven and sounds more and more like he wants to be the new George Michael. The lyrics are complete bollocks and he admitted this himself.

Not so much overtones of the disco classic I Will Survive are seen to appear throughout the fourth track Supreme, rather the ripping off of the instrumental riff from said tune, but it lacks the same energy and rather plods along.

I had high hopes for Kids, it being a duet with assistance from Kylie Minogue, but what intends to be a funky affair soon dissipates into a mesh of bog-standard guitar groans and dance beats to cave your skull in with.

To close the first half of the album Robbie digs out his acoustic guitar for If It's Hurting You. It's about dumping someone and although it's a moderately quiet track, it screams "Tonight Matthew, I'm going to attempt to be Paul Weller".

Starting into the second half and we're on the home straight. However, all I can say about Singing For The Lonely was that it was more up-tempo than most of the rest of the songs on display, it was mind-numbingly repetitive and 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 he just wants to take ideas from other places and turn them around to use them for his own advantage. A mid-tempo track that's nothing like the Tina Turner song you thought it would be, not only does it bastardise the name of that tune, but also a Don Henley one with the chorus line, "New York's had its minute".

Forever Texas is so-called because of the line, "Give me Texas wisdom". I presume only he knows whatever that means. Thankfully it does not go on forever.

Obviously Robbie's had a bitter experience with a woman, as if meeting Geri Halliwell wasn't enough, so By All Means Necessary declares that to be the way the girl in question will get whatever she wants. Ho hum.

A simple up-beat number entitled The Road To Mandalay closes the album and is the only one I'd be particularly fussed to hear again. It's very much a road-trip-type track, but while it's a far cry from being outstanding 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 the full 52 you'll get nothing but silence until the last few seconds when, after presumingly having done this beforehand, the tinny words are heard saying "No, I'm not doing one on this album". Oh, Robbie, you are a wag.

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 teeny market out the window and he's opted more for guitar-based tunes, but they're all so generic with about as much originality as a Status Quo song and today's music lovers are looking for something more than the ordinary.

No doubt Dominic Moron in The Sun has already creamed his pants over this release, but to me Robbie's showing a complete lack of ideas and we've heard it all before. So, it should sell millions then (!)

Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 2000.

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