Track Listing

1. Rudebox
2. Viva Life On Mars
3. Lovelight
4. King Of The Bongo
5. She's Madonna
6. Keep On
7. Good Doctor
8. The Actor
9. Never Touch That Switch
10. Louise
11. We’re The Pet Shop Boys
12. Burslem Normals
13. Kiss Me
14. The '80s
15. The '90s
16. Summertime
17. Dickhead

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7271 in Music
• Released on: 2006-10-23
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Enhanced, Explicit Lyrics
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review
With the help of producer/songwriters William Orbit, Mark Ronson, Jerry Meehan, Joey Negro and Soul Mekanik (plus guests as diverse as The Pet Shop Boys and Lily Allen), Robbie Williams has achieved a most radical transformation. Gone is the slick, pop-rogue of yesteryear: in his place is a new Robbie that raps, embraces club beats and (mostly) favours personal indulgence over cheesy, universal pop. Recent single "Rudebox", all electronic riddims and slack-rap vocal delivery, was just the start of this transition. The rest of Rudebox completes the remarkable overhaul with several eclectic covers - from Manu Chau's "Bongo Bong" and Lewis Taylor's underground classic "Lovelight," to subversive takes on The Human League ("Louise"), My Robot Friend ("We're The Pet Shop Boys") and Stephen Duffy ("Kiss Me") – and tracks such as "Keep On", "Good Doctor" and "Dickhead", which confirm his quite bewildering quest to becoming a comedic, Staffs-accented version of The Streets.

Slightly more serious are his attempts at what he describes as 'wonky pop'. Songs like "Viva Life On Mars", his odd ode to Madonna ("She's Madonna"), the dark "The Actor" and catchy club-hit-in-waiting "Never Touch That Switch" all feature innovative production and interesting arrangements. Toward the end, we get "The 80s" and "The 90s", two more amusing "rap"-tracks that cover the singer's adolescence and his Take That years respectively; these underline the nostalgic, end-of-an-era feel of the LP. Audaciously eclectic and admirably upfront, Rudebox is overtly a form of personal catharsis. Not all the experiments work, but they're better than you might think, and now they're off his chest it'll be interesting to see where the new Robbie Williams heads to next.--Paul Sullivan

CD Description
The follow-up to 2005's 'Intensive Care', 'Rudebox' is Robbie's seventh studio album, and is sure to add to his album sales which already top 45 million worldwide. Moving away from his usual ballads and uptempo pop songs, Williams experiments with a fresher, hip hop sound, with suprisingly successful results. Robbie has also recruited a team of production superstars to help him hone this new sound, including Mark Ronson, William Orbit and the Pet Shop Boys. Includes the single 'Rudebox'.

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Customer Reviews

DON'T CARE...I LIKE IT
The main reason i like this album is the fact he's doing what most artists longevity do....change. some tracks are weak (only a few though) But i really like the rest. i honestly don't want to hear the same tracks rehashed that he was doing around the time of angels, no regrets and let me entertain you. they fit within the time they were made but you've got to let an artist move on and try other stuff. I swear some people only like the tracks that they can sing a long to on karoke. angels etc are great all time greatest hits but come on move on a bit...push the envelope...and i think thats kinda what he's doing since the guy chambers stuff with both the last album and this new one. good for you robbie for the abilty to change. even like the cover versions.

Outstanding change of style
Iv'e got to say - I've always been a fan of Robbies work. He has a knack for creating very catchy songs, even though I've found it necassary to listen to his albums three or four times to get into the tracks. Then suddenly, here's Rudebox. I was quite honestly blown away the first time I listened to it. Which was a shock, after all the bad press about the album. Robbie has soared off in a completely different direction here, and I found it just brilliant!
It reminds a bit of when famous popstars do a "guest vocal" on some well-produced dance or electric number - but they are his tracks, on his album. Through many of the tracks, Robbie's voice kind of takes a backseat to the basslines and synthesisers in a very ambient 80's feel combination. Tracks like "She's Madonna" and "We're the pet shop boys" are enough to send shivers down the spine (yeah I know that sounds freaky), and his cover of "Kiss Me" just reeks of an XFactor or PopIdol performance - except Robbie can ACTUALLY SING! Great stuff.
I suspect most people who slated this album, probebly are usually only into pop/rock like Robbie's previous stuff. I also suspect that many people who didn't like Robbie tunes before, might well enjoy this. Top voice, top change of style, top album.

Now That's What I Call Artistic Licence
I have never bought a robbie CD in my life, I would have to say I avoided his material, with the exception of Radio and Rock DJ. But this CD is so impressive. For Robbie to change his style so completely and turn away from the style that made him who he is shows a huge ammount of artistic courage in my mind, I have to admire that in a musican as established as he is. The CD is awash with clever lyrics and catchy electro hooks.