Do you swing? (Swing When You're Winning - Robbie Williams - Soundtrack)

Member Name: paulhanton

Product:	Swing When You're Winning - Robbie Williams - Soundtrack
Date:	30/06/08 (273 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some brave attempts.

Disadvantages: Some brave failures.

Swing When You're Winning - Robbie Williams

Okay, my last two reviews have been smooth jazz and hard jazz, time for a bit of swing. I have to say I feel pretty qualified to comment on this album for I have it in 3 different ways:

1. Downloaded from iTunes
2. I have the sheet music for Alto saxophone
3. I have the backing tracks to play along too

Now clearly Mr Williams is a popster, having sung and danced with one of, if not the most successful boy bands Take That. He has also gone on to carve out an incredibly successful solo career.

Swing when You're winning was the next album to be released after 'Sing when you're winning', clever so and so and is a homage to some of the big band swing numbers that Robbie purports to enjoy. Released in 2001.

~~~~~The Tracks~~~~~

1. I Will Talk and Hollywood Will Listen
2. Mack the Knife
3. Somethin' Stupid" (with Nicole Kidman)
4. Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me
5. It Was a Very Good Year (with Frank Sinatra)
6. Straighten Up and Fly Right"
7. Well, Did You Evah! (with Jon Lovitz)
8. Mr. Bojangles
9. One for My Baby
10. Things" (with Jane Horrocks) (Bobby Darin) - 3:22
11. Ain't That a Kick in the Head
12. They Can't Take That Away from Me (with Rupert Everett)
13. Have You Met Miss Jones?
14. Me and My Shadow" (with Jonathan Wilkes)
15. Beyond the Sea

I'm not going to discuss each and every song as, to be honest, some are quite pale imitations of the originals, and one cannot but compare them to said originals. I think he has a damn cheek for instance to do a virtual duet with Frank Sinatra.

One or two tracks do stand out however and are very well suited to Robbie Williams voice and style.

~~~~Mack the Knife~~~~
This is actually a very good rendition and we get to hear his voice a little lower than in many of his pop songs and he does a good job, crisp, clear and believable. He really does seem to suit this and the music does not drown him out as it does on some tracks.

~~~~Something Stupid~~~~
I have to say, just listening to it seems to show its mediocrity, but after watching the video that went with it, it seems impossible to separate the two. One of the classic pop video's in my opinion, for that reason the association makes the song stronger. Ultra cheesy as duets go, and this is its charm.

~~~~Me and my Shadow~~~~
Memorable as he gets his bessie mate to duet with him, not bad, not good, I like the fun element which comes through in his voice. Though to be honest it aint the best rendition and sounds a bit karaoke like.

~~~~Beyond the Sea~~~~
Now he actually sings this really, really well and his voice matches the music perfectly, best song on the album for me. He sings it slower than my favourite rendition, which is Bobby Darin, but what he does do well is change key in his voice, with the music, and there are a lot of key changes and 'accidentals' in this piece.

~~~Awful song alert~~~

I must mention Mr. Bo jangles, Williams is just not believable singing this. If you ever get the chance to listen to Sammy Davies Jr singing this you will now what I mean. When he sings it I end up in tears, when Williams sings it I want the sick bag!!

~~~~~Finally~~~~~

Not the best album in the world, and certainly, though he has a good voice, it cannot hope to compete with big bands and orchestras. My advice, buy single tunes if you like them, the album as a whole aint worth paying for, I should know, I did. Though to get Beyond The Sea, you have to buy the album from iTunes.

However, I am glad I bought the sheet music and backing tracks, I certainly use them more than I do listen to Robbie.

Summary: Swing when your'e winning.