Take That - Back for Good? (Beautiful World - Take That)

Member Name: blonde_girl774

Product:	Beautiful World - Take That
Date:	05/12/06 (2756 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A new mature sound, some great tracks, all the boys had a hand in writing the album.

Disadvantages: Some poorer tracks, not quite the same as they used to be.

Take That will always remind me of my childhood, they were the first big boy bad that I really took any notice of and will always be firmly implanted along with my primary school memories. I used to love Mark Owen and firmly believed at some point in time he’d feel the same about me – the wonders of being a naïve little girl! When I heard that they were reforming the group I was a little dubious to say the least, they were such a big and influential group back in their day that I wondered if they’d ever be able to live up to their former success. Their first release of their “new” career came out on the 20th November and went straight into the singles chart at number 1 in the UK. Their album was released a week later and went straight into my music collection the very same day!

The album cover portrays the four band members (Robbie Williams didn’t wish to join the group in their reform) walking along what appears to be a beach looking much more mature than they once did. They all look a little more rugged and have almost conformed to the indie style (long hair, quirky dress sense) that seems to be prevailing over the music system today. The album itself contains 12 songs which are all brand new material. Each member of the band made a contribution to both the writing and the singing of this album which allows us to gain a real insight into the band themselves. For once it’s not heavily reliant on other song writer’s material but instead gives a contemporary and honest impression of the group.

The first track on the album is “Reach Out” which opens with a slight pop feel, much more laidback than their previous somewhat cheesy pop image. There’s a distinct indie feel to this track, not quite to the extent where hardcore indie lovers will approve but there are similar sounds to bands such as Razorlight and Athlete with some of their slower song. The song itself talks of how you sometimes need to reach out effectively to sort out problems, “We all live sharing the air that we breathe, cos I don’t you and you don’t know me, it’s the same sunrise if we all just look to the sky.” It’s a good opening track as it shows that the band has changed from their younger, cheesier pop sound and also has good underlying meaning – about how we’re all different, we shouldn’t judge others and how we need to reach out sometimes. This is followed by their current single “Patience” which has received enormous airplay over the past couple of weeks. This is one of my favourite tracks on the album and a song that I really love. There’s a much more melancholy feel to this track than the previous one or indeed any of their earlier material. The backing music creates quite a solemn mood to the track before crescendoing into the chorus which shows that they’ve not lost their ability to sing at all. The song is, as the title would suggest, about having patience at times with other people and in a sense, with them as well, “Have a little patience, I really wanna start over again, I know you wanna be my salvation, the one that I can always depend, I’ll try to be strong.”

The third track on the album is the title track of the album “Beautiful World.” This opens with a much more positive feel that the previous track and creates a sense of peacefulness in a way. There’s a more pop sound to this track but it’s not the same sort of cringe worthy pop or young pop in a sense as they used to be associated with. It’s a grown up sound that seems to work quite well for them. The track is about how we live in a beautiful world and how sometimes you just don’t seem to appreciate it unless you’re with that special someone, “Words I had to keep inside, even though I’ve tried, impossible to hide, and you know that it’s me, that’s stopping you from falling, pushing down, loosing ground, till I see you again.” This is followed by “Hold On” which opens with gentle guitar beats that sound a little similar to some of their older material. This song is opened by Mark singing and he shows that he can actually hold a tune as good as their lead singer Gary Barlow. I really like this track, it seems more mellow than the previous ones, and calmer in a sense with some great lyrics, “I don’t wanna see you falling, just hold on, just hold onto me, I don’t wanna see you crying, so hold on, so hold onto me.” A love song in a sense, without that sickly element that most songs seem to contain these days – this is like the majority of the album in fact, there’s a lot of songs with elements of a love song in them but they never quite fall completely into the love ballad category.

In contrast to what I’ve just written however the next song up is “Like I Never Loved You At All” which is obviously a long song through and through from the title! It’s quite similar sounding to a couple of the other tracks on the album and is backed by the piano and guitar beats which give that slightly pop feel to the track. It’s sung at a slower pace than the other tracks which allow us to really appreciate their voices, they’ve almost gained a husky and rugged sound with age which really does suit them. The song itself is really emotive and when I listened to the lyrics carefully I discovered a brutal truth in them which gives the song a sad feel in a way, “How did we loose our way, it’s time to remember all that we shared, now we both have separate lives, we’re just two strangers.” It’s one of my favourites on the album and one that I’ll certainly be playing over and over! This is followed by “Shine” which has much more of a quirky, indie feel with a hard beat playing underneath the singing. I can’t quite decide if I like this track or not, it’s very different to anything they ever sung all those years ago, and different to the first five tracks of the album. There’s almost a camp-ness about this song which matches the quirky beat, “You can have it all, oh come on get it on, I don’t know what you’re waiting for, your time is coming don’t be late, so come on see the light, on your face, just let it shine.”

The seventh track on the album returns to their much safer sound and has very clear similarities to something that would belong on a Westlife album, “I’d Wait For Life.” It’s got the same slow beat as Westlife love songs tend to have and it very melodious and tranquil. The backing music is kept to a minimum with simple piano chords which makes the song seem closer somehow and makes you concentrate on the lyrics more. It’s all about how when someone that you love leaves you, and how you’d wait for life to get them back, “There’s a voice shining inside my head, there’s a space on your side of the bed, and there’s a hope every time there’s a sound, there’s a silence that’s playing too loud.” This is followed by “Ain’t No Sense In Love” which returns to the slightly more upbeat feel of the start of the album. Another song which is up there in my favourites but there’s not a lot to say about it as it’s very similar to several other tracks on this album. It’s firmly in the soft pop field and has some great lyrics, “Cos you’re not the one I need, but you’re the one that I want, there ain’t no sense in love, ain’t no sense in love.”

The ninth track up is “What You Believe In” and opens with some lovely “oohing” from the boys before going into a guitar track which sounds like something from an Oasis album. There’s a much harder feel to this track which is also shown in the slightly echoing lyrics and the pessimistic tone of Mark’s voice. The mood of the track is quite dark especially in the opening verse and this is also reflected in the lyrics, “Give me what it is you believe in, cos I gave to you my truth, I got all my faith in you, I don’t know which way we are going, doesn’t matter anyway, just as long as you will stay.” The penultimate track on the album is “Mancunian Way” which is a fair track full of soothing beats and some quirky lyrics thrown in for good measure, “I’m missing your face, your beautiful face, it’s funny that I recall they gave us the keys to the city but they don’t fit anything, but I’m coming anyway.” It’s not really one of my favourite songs on the album at all but not one that I’d be inclined to skip just yet anyway. The final track on the album is “Wooden Boat” which is a good song to finish with as it shows Take That’s matured sound and also allows Jason Orange to take over on lead vocals.

So my overall opinion….

I have to say I really like this album, I’m pleasantly surprised by it if I’m honest as I did worry that it would be merely a copy almost of their earlier music. Gone is their classic boy band sound but in its place is a much more mature sound of slow pop mixed with calmer indie sounds that seems to work well for them. There’s also slight elements of an adult rock sound as well which show that the band are truly versatile in what genre they choose to focus on. What did surprise me is that there isn’t a cynical moment on the album at all, there’s no songs which talk of regret or mention Robbie William’s refusal to reunite with the band – it’s almost as if the last 10 years haven’t happened in that respect. I’m glad that Gary Barlow wasn’t solely responsible for lead vocals or indeed for song writing on the album as by allowing the other members to contribute; we really get to see the true Take That for the same time.

If you were a fan of them back in their most famous era then I’d certainly recommend buying this album, if only so you can see how they’ve grown up and changed over the past years. If you weren’t a Take That fan then I’d still say it’s worth a listen, especially if it was their cheesy pop sound that you disliked rather than the actual band members – there’s few traces of this sound on their new album. Arguably the greatest boy band of the 1990s we can but wait and see if they will move on and conquer the same title for the current decade as well.

Thanks for reading!

www.amazon.co.uk £7.99

Summary: The first album of the 21st century for re-formed boy band Take That.