We need to talk about Robbie. Although he is at pains to stress that Reality Killed The Video Star should not be approached as a comeback – the ill fated Rudebox was only released three years ago after all – you cannot escape the fact that much rests on this record for him career wise.The across the board commercial, cultural and critical love that he once enjoyed has been on the wane for some time, with his last release only crystallising the fact. Throw in his personal woes and, unavoidably, the meteoric return of his old colleagues and the real or imagined importance of this album is thrown into sharp focus. More worryingly, the Robbie of old (who would have surely come out fighting) has been notably absent. His live TV appearances have been tentative, he pulled out of the MTV Awards at the last minute and the whole campaign has been pre-empted by an air of self-pity and self-doubt.
Against this backdrop, though, emerged the lead single ‘Bodies’. Initially giving the impression of a third string release off one of his better albums, time has revealed it to be something akin to his glory days. Helmed by the unexpected choice of Trevor Horn, it’s a clever, left-field but catchy pop song that proves that, on his day, Williams is more than capable of showing the new generation a clean pair of heels. The problem is that, as his own lyric promises, Reality Killed The Video Star is “no singles just fillers”.
For an artist who has specialised in an admirable range of styles in the past, to find him on one default setting is a shame. Whereas Rudebox (ironically now being seen more and more as a heroic failure) saw him to pushing the envelope in bizarre directions, Reality... is strings, ballads, introspection, more strings, banal lyrics of pop star woe (“what’s so great about the great depression?”) and a few more strings thrown in for good measure. It is also the one thing that Robbie Williams could never have been accused of in the past. Dull. The subject matter of longing, bitterness and regret have been no stranger to him in the past but have always been matched by an inspired musical backing. Here we just have some miserable bloke and some boring songs, plodding keyboards and, oh yes, those bloody strings.
Ultimately, Robbie Williams has found himself facing the realisation facing most pop stars in the end; that they themselves are of more interest to us than their music. That’s why an appearance on Jonathon Ross’ chat show is more important than the EMAs. We want to know what’s going on in his head but we really don’t want to have to sit through any of his songs to find it out. We don’t have the taste much for it anymore and neither, it seems, does the man himself. “I could give this up, I could walk away, it doesn’t fill me up” he offers towards the end of the record. Where he will walk to remains to be seen. The comfort of Take That? Stranger things have happened, although not many. To settle down and have a family? It certainly seems to be on his agenda. Whatever he does, it would be churlish not to wish him the best and hope that it makes him happy. It has to have better results for him – and us – than this.
Review by Phil Udell | OMG Entertainment | Leading Entertainment Website with Music, Fashion, Games, Films, Food, Drink, Reviews and Culture.
