Robbie Williams - Intensive Care (Parental Advisory) [PA] (CD 2005)

Some people dislike Robbie, thinking him arrogant, cocky, too full of himself.

They may be right, but he has many reasons to be pleased with himself with this album. It's evidence, if it were needed, of his ever-expanding talent, and I absolutely cannot get 'Tripping' out of my head now!!

This album will please existing fans, but will also draw in new admirers, many of whom may be getting this one for Christmas. And regardless of what age they are, they won't be disappointed.

this is a great album from robbie his latest song tripping is about the sixth best track on there advertising space is a cert for number one then you have got make me pure, spread your wings, please dont die, sin sin sin and the trouble with me all excellent songs i was not a fan before i am now. buy it!

Robbie is back again with yet another album!

The first single released from the album "Tripping" is simply a case of love it or hate it. Some would say that the high-pitched voices in the song are unnecessary, whereas others would appreciate Robbie's efforts to pull off something that little bit different.

In my opinion, "Advertising Space" is the pick of the bunch and represents a prime example of what classic Robbie Williams is all about. You can imagine Robbie entertaining a crowd at Knebworth or Glastonbury and the crowd singing along with adoration for their hero. "Make Me Pure" is a soft-rock ballad and a track definitely to be listented to. None really touch you in the same way as his ultimate power ballad "Angels" though.

Robbie still has the ability to entertain his fans and is evidently still at the top of his game. The tracks on the album seem to grow on you the more times you listen.

Overall the album has shades of classic Robbie with some of his new-style songs being fairly outrageous choices. The avid fan must own, whereas the experimental music fan will see both good and bad in the album.

Wayne
24 Hour Shopaholics (eBay shop)

When Robbie Williams was beginning to make his one true push toward success in the United States, he released an album that compiled highlights from the two huge selling albums that he had already created in the United Kingdom. He called this compilation The Ego Has Landed.

On Intensive Care, the Ego finally lands.

Part of this is likely due to a new choice of songwriting partner. Stephen Duffy of The Lilac Time is now the man behind the curtain, and the version of Robbie Williams that he embraces is one that shows a bit more restraint than the Robbie of old while still retaining the tendency toward big sounds and big statements. The silliness is muted, the musicality is emphasized, and we end up with something that actually sounds like a real, honest to God album rather than a collection of songs.

This may not be evident from the start. The first, much publicized lines that Williams sings almost immediately at the outset of Intensive Care are "Here I stand victorious / The only man that made you come," and most anyone could be forgiven a roll of the eyes and a knee-jerk dismissal of the rest of the album. To be sure, Robbie Williams' muse is still Robbie Williams. As opening track "Ghosts" progresses, however, a settling takes place, and the song ends up turning into David Bowie through a foggy U2 filter, which is somehow a good thing. The slow build is wonderful, and the mood is one of regret for the past rather than pompous examination of the present. "Look at the time it's taken me / To get away from what was said," says Williams, simultaneously offering a plea for mercy from a singular antagonist and hinting toward the hurt that has been caused him via a merciless press corps.

These moments of openness and humility occur throughout Intensive Care, though they're often said with a hint of swallowed bitterness, as if our Robbie knows he's throwing us a bone here. "Tell a joke / Tell it twice / If no one else is laughing / Then why am I?," he asks toward the beginning of the country ballad (complete with gospel choir) "Make Me Pure", offering the possibility that perhaps he brings the criticism on himself. Still, in the same song, he outlines his own reluctance to change in the simple refrain of "Oh Lord / Make me pure / But not yet." It's this conflict, this sense of aging and a growing maturity against the wishes of the omnipresent, forever-young-in-his-own-mind narrator, that allows Intensive Care to remain fascinating on repeated listens.

Musically, the album takes on most of Williams' typical jack of all trades tendencies, careening from arena rock to country to synth-pop to ska-tinged Latin over the course of the album. Williams' songs tend to be strongest when he's being safest musically -- mid-tempo rockers like "Random Acts of Kindness" and "Spread Your Wings" sound as though Williams was born to sing them, while slower material like "Make Me Pure" and particularly the exquisite "Advertising Space" will get lighters in the air all over the world.

It's not clear that Williams was going into Intensive Care hoping to come up with a coming of middle-age album, but that's what we get. The Ego has landed -- Robbie's growing up.