CD REVIEW: ROBBIE WILLIAMS – The Heavy Entertainment Show

Shane | 16 December 2016 | Reply

CD REVIEW: ROBBIE WILLIAMS – The Heavy Entertainment Show
Sony
November 2016
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
8/10

Robbie Williams packs all the punch he can manage into album #11, throwing every trick in the book (and a few new ones) PLUS the kitchen sink into this collection of 11 catchy and mostly entertaining tracks.

Forget Kanye’s delusional bragging, Robbie’s better than anyone at bringing rock star swagger to pop music, and as ever, he packs The Heavy Entertainment Show with trademark ‘cheeky chav’ attitude.

Musically his outstanding success means he’s beholden to no-one and no fad, so to his credit he veers into music hall braggadocio on the title track, a chilled vodka Red Army march feel to Party Like A Russian, ‘70s T-Rex glam stomp on Bruce Lee’s driving riff and where-have-I-heard-that-before melody, and the disco danceability of Pretty Woman.

Fatherhood casts it’s loving shadow over The Heavy Entertainment Show – Love My Life is a mantra written by a man embracing the changes in his life that love and family bring, and is cleverly written so as to be accessibly adopted by anyone as a mantra for their own life challenges and wins. It hasn’t completely mellowed the old rascal, though – the other side of the fatherhood coin is well represented by the foul-mouther Motherfucker, the proud rogue Dad’s “we are bad motherfuckers” written lovingly – if not appropriately – for his son.

When he sticks with tried and true pop music the results are less enjoyable. For every Mixed Signals, a great melody and simple production, there is the hipster doof doof try-too-hard of Sensitive, and the yawnfest of David’s Song – an attempt at heartfelt balladry which is as beige a song as he’s ever recorded.