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FeaturesYou are in: Stoke & Staffordshire > Entertainment > Music > Features > "Intensive Care" - a review ![]() The voice of an Angel! "Intensive Care" - a reviewIntensive Care is the first album from Robbie Williams without songwriting sidekick Guy Chambers. Is there life after Angels? Stuart George takes a listen... When you've read this review, add your comments too, on the message-board halfway down this page. Clearly it depends on the context, but in relation to Robbie Williams you end up with the son of Stoke's latest effort "Intensive Care". It really doesn't miss Guy Chambers' input that much at all. Maybe that shows that Robbie is a decent songsmith in his own right. There are still the soaring highs and occasional lows of Robbie's more recent releases, and after a couple of listens there isn't quite the finesse of Escapology, but it's all the better for that. Gorillaz meets Flash GordonThe first thing you notice when you get the CD out and have a good look at the packaging is how clever the artwork is. It's Gorillaz meets Flash Gordon really, and the inlay's nearly as long as the traffic jams on the A500... it just keeps growing. The music itself sounds a bit rockier than any of Robbie's other five studio albums. It begins with the assertion "Here I stand victorious". Sounds reasonable to me. You'll already know Tripping. As the lead single from the album it really doesn't fit in with the rest of it. It took three or four listens to get into this song, yet the rest of Intensive Care is more immediate. Sin, Sin, Sin, is a great song for driving too... ideal for the A50 or M6. It's got an 80's synthy bass line and moves along with purpose - not a bad tune to it either. Mini kitchen sink dramasSpread Your Wings contains the line "home is where the hurt is" - surely not a reference to Stoke on Trent! In fact, many of the songs on the album tell stories. It's a series of mini kitchen sink dramas. I just get the feeling that Robbie's building up to writing a rock opera. I can see it now running for literally weeks in the West End. Take This - the Robbie Williams Musical. There is a real sense of musical theatre about this. Advertising Space, apparently about Elvis Presley but thankfully sounding nothing like him, is great. A mellow, laid back effort which, if it was a mushy love song, might get played at more funerals than Angels does. Dare I say I think it's better than Angels? Oatcakes without baconI was a bit concerned that Robbie without Guy would be like oatcakes without bacon. You know, a bit bland, lacking flavour, something crucial missing. Having listened to Intensive Care I needn't have worried. While missing a bit of the class of Sing When You're Winning and Escapology, the new album contains songs every bit as good, some really interesting lyrical ideas, and the occasional cracking melody. The Williams/Duffy partnership is one which works. Oh, and if you fancy a bit of 1980's nostalgia I can recommend Steven Duffy's album "The Ups and Downs". Well done Rob. Intensive Care is out now on Chrysalis Records. last updated: 12/12/2008 at 12:36 Have Your SayThanks for all your comments (see below)! This messageboard is now closed
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