The Celebrity Truth

We’ve gotten our hands on the new Robbie Williams album, Reality Killed The Video Star, and it’s a smashing listen – and a fine return to form for the British lad. Read our review after the jump!

I’ll start by confessing that I’m a fan of Robbie Williams, and have persisted past his last two experimental albums Intensive Care and Rudebox in the hope that he’ll blast back with his trademark larger-than-life sound.

Enter Reality Killed The Video Star.

From the outset, the new album sounds like Robbie Williams matured, or as he describes it himself, it’s a bit of “old Robbie, new Robbie and a Robbie that neither of us have met.”

Gone is the boyband, the drug and alcohol infused popstar, the Lothario, and what we’re left with is a warmer, funner and in-love Robbie Williams who seems determined to resurrect his somewhat flagging career with an album full of strong songs.

It also feels like Mr. Williams has picked the highlights of his career and channeled that sound into a choice selection of 13 tracks.  Comparisons will be made to songs that sound like they belong on 2003′s Escapology or 2001′s Swing When Your Winning, or even his electro-experimental Rudebox album from 2006, but the emphasis seems to be on churning out quality, not quantity.

Bodies is the perfect first single. Like a worldwide siren to announce his long-overdue return to any fans that may have dropped off during his time away from the spotlight, this could easily be mistaken for a Williams/Guy Chambers collaboration of years gone past.

Although it was reported that Chambers would helm the entire album, he only appears as co-writer on track 4, Blasphemy, a stripped back number that parts out the wisdom, “We could send a million to the moon/But why can’t I get along with you/With cellophane around my mouth/Stops the anger seeping out.”

Although not the best song on Reality, it does generate hope of a full-album collaboration somewhere down the track.

Behind the desk is Trevor Horn (John Legend, Pet Shop Boys, Seal), a man who gained notoriety in the seventies as part of The Buggles, who’s hit single Video Killed The Radio Star was the inspiration behind the title of Williams’ new album.

Horn brings experience and sound.  A very big sound.  Brass, strings, guitars, piano, flutes, disco beats;  it’s almost easier to name instruments that don’t appear on the album rather than ones that do. You get the feeling that the pair get each other in a way that’s been lacking since Chambers’ departure from Camp Williams.

Do You Mind sounds like Robbie was just having fun and is a straight forward slice of pop rock based around an AC/DC-ish guitar loop (I did say “ish”). Last Days of Disco is Williams still showing he can move a dancefloor, while Deceptacon is the 35-year-old channeling David Bowie (and well, I might add).

If you’re a Robbie Williams fan wanting the second resurrection of arguably one of the greatest performers of our generation (55 million albums sold to date, six of the Top 100 biggest selling albums of all time in Britain will attest to this), you won’t be disappointed.

Are all of the elements aligned to make this one of his best? Give it a few listens before you cast judgment. We believe it’s a resounding yes.

Words: David Christopher. Photos: EMI.