It's not somethin' stupid that's for sure! (Swing When You're Winning - Robbie Williams - Soundtrack)

Member Name: Orangeb

Product:	Swing When You're Winning - Robbie Williams - Soundtrack
Date:	01/12/01 (138 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: An absolutely brilliant album

Disadvantages: None!

I must admit that when I saw Robbie's performance at the Royal Albert Hall I wasn't too impressed with his arrogance (see my "to be frank with you" op if you want the full story), and listening once wasn't really enough to pick up the songs. Anyway, being the huge Robbie fan that I am, I ordered "Swing When You're Winning" anyway.
I got it this morning and I must say, I much prefer listening to it than watching Rob sing it because as I have already said, I thought he was a little arrogant about songs that aren't his own.

Anyway, if I can get round to my point! I think "Swing When You're Winning" is actually a brilliant album! I know this is very contradictory to what I have already said but when I can't see him playing up to the audience in his presumptuous fashion, I can appreciate his voice which is in all honesty, amazing.

The album kicks off with "I Will Talk And Hollywood Will Listen". This is Rob's own song and I must say, I think it is one of my favourites. It begins quietly with Robbie singing with quite a high pitch and then it builds up for the chorus. As more and more orchestral intruments (lots of strings) come in the texture thickens to produce a lovely rich sound. This is just a fabulous song and I think it proves that Rob can write swing himself which is just as good, if not better, than all the songs he covers. He can write in his own style and use a lot more originality. An excellent start.

The next track is "Mack The Knife" from "The Beggar's Opera" written by Brecht and Weill.
This is very well covered by Robbie, it has lots of energy and the brass is brilliant and gives the song a lot of character. With quite a fast tempo, this one certainly gets your toes tapping!

Following that is "Somethin' Stupid", the well publicised duet with Nicole Kidman, originally sung by Frank and Nancy Sinatra. Wi
th a lot of strings and little twiddly bits on the guitar, this song is quite and romantic, again a great contrast to the previous two tracks. Although Robbie and Nicole sound good together, for me there's something not quite right about it. This is obviously because I'm comparing it to the original but I think Robbie's voice needs to be a little more dominant, as Frank's was (although Frank's pitch was a lot lower making it more of a contrast with Nancy's).

"Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me" is next. This is a new one for me and I absolutely love it. It has a brilliant jazzy style with some fantastic brass sounds. The gentle percussion gives the song a good rhythm and Robbie's voice melts in well with the sound. There is a lovely trumpet solo as well, which adds a lot to the song. This is one which will get you up and dancing!

"It Was A Very Good Year" is next. Now, I must be honest with you, I think it was a bit stupid of Robbie to record it "with Frank". The song starts well, with Robbie sounding pretty good, taking the verses for 17 and 21. Then Frank comes in for 35, after hearing Frank's verses, the contrast between his voice and Robbie's becomes more blindingly obvious than you could imagine it to be! Although Robbie can sing very well, his voice just isn't as experienced as Frank's is and it makes Robbie seem...almost amateur in comparison. This probably sounds really harsh but with the two voices side by side, Frank's rises above Robbie's quite a lot. A good song, but I think it needs to be all Robbie as there is a quality division between his verses and Frank's.

"Straighten Up And Fly Right" is the next track. Originally by Nat "King" Cole, this song is covered by Robbie well. There is a great melody which is predominantly brass, the saxophone is especially good! Although it is not a particularly loud, thick textured song
it still has a lot of character and is a real toe tapper.

Following "Straighten Up And Fly Right" is "Well, Did You Evah". Robbie covers Frank and Bing's party piece with Jon Lovitz. This is a really brilliant song but it took quite a while for me to really get into it. It is basically Robbie and Jon having a good old gossip at a party. It's fairly quiet for the first couple of minutes with mainly strings playing the tune and Robbie and Jon talking over the top and harmonising with each other. Then the tempo picks up and there is a loud brass bit followed by a really quirky part, it could be on a Tom and Jerry chase or something! It has a real cartoony quality to it. Then the texture thins out back to the way it was at the beginning before the tempo picking up slightly for the end to the song, it finishes on a real high with loads of energy. A wicked song but don't dismiss it on its first listen, after three or four plays you'll love it!

"Mr Bojangles" is next. This song is quite a mood changer after "Straighten Up and Fly Right". It starts quietly and is quite serene. Robbie comes in whistling before breaking into gentle singing. There is a lovely piano harmony with some quiet brass and calming percussion keeping the rhythm. Of course about three-quarters of the way through, there is a part where the tempo picks up and all the brass comes in to accompany Rob's louder singing. Yet the song finishes the same way it began, quietly and quite movingly.

"One For My Baby" follows on. It continues with the serene style set by "Mr Bojangles". Robbie performs this with Bill Miller on the piano, who played Frank's original version. This is the only instrument used for the main body of the song apart from Robbie's voice. A fantastic bluesy sound is produced and is joined later on by a saxophone. It is a really calming song and brilliant to relax to.

In
typical Robbie style, the tempo picks up again for the next track - "Things". This is a duet with Jane Horrocks and has a really cheerful melody. The tempo is pretty upbeat with some great piano and brass. For the most part, Jane echoes Rob's last word for each line and joins in on the chorus with him. This is a marvellous song, it'll make you want to get up and dance! At the end, Jane and Robbie have a conversation as if the song has finished, telling each other that they were rubbish. It ends with Robbie saying "Look you started this on your last album and I don't want to have anything to do with it I'm going goodbye"! Very enjoyable to listen to!

Dean Martin's "Ain't That A Kick In The Head" follows. This one also has a lot of character. My favourite part of this song is the brass bassline, it's got a nice rumble to it! There is a great rhythm and loads of brass joining in as well. Another one to dance to!

"They Can't Take That Away From Me" is the next track. Robbie performs this with Rupert Everett. To be honest I don't like this one quite as much as the others. It has some brilliant thick instrumental interludes with a rich texture but the melody just doesn't appeal to me as much. It's only more average in comparison to the rest of the album though, on it's own it would bring the house down!

The classic "Have You Met Miss Jones" follows. Most Robbie fans will probably already have heard this from Bridget Jones. This song was the inspiration for "Swing When You're Winning and it has a great melody which Robbie sings very well. After the initial grand opening, Robbie's singing actually brings the tempo and grandeur down a bit but as always with swing music, later on the brass and percussion come in to give the song loads of energy. Marvellous and fun to listen to.

"Me And My Shadow" is Rob's duet with J
onathan Wilkes. Now, after seeing Jonathan Wilkes release a record after we all learnt how he was Robbie's flatmate, I for one thought that he was trying to get success through Rob. Yet surprisingly enough, he sings very well. The song has a very genuine feel, and as Robbie said - "The song really could have been written about us". You can hear the enjoyment in the lads' voices and as they are having such a great time, it really increases how much you yourself enjoy listening to it. The harmonising is fantastic and Robbie doesn't try and take advantage or all the credit over his flatmate, as some celebrities may try to do. Neither voice is more dominant and they both sound brilliant together. There is a part just before the end where Robbie and Jonathan have a funny conversation, well I think it's funny anyway! This'll be bound to make your face crack into a smile when you hear it as as I said before, you can hear the genuity in the lads' voices. This is a sensational song and great to see performed live as well.

The very last track is "Beyond The Sea". After "Me And My Shadow", I think that it is a bit of a let-down considering it is the last song on the album. Although the melody is pretty good, the album doesn't go out with a bang like you would expect it to after hearing the rest of the album. This is a good song but it doesn't really compare to some of the others, I think that Robbie could have selected one with more energy to finish with. But that's just my opinion!

Now, as he has done before, Robbie has added some bonus bits to the end of the album. At about 26 minutes through "Beyond The Sea", a selection of extracts play, things such as bits which have gone wrong and Robbie's conversations with people. It is a fun way to finish and gives the listener the impression that Robbie is having the time of his life and is certainly swinging while he's winning.

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