The Follow-Up To The Hot-Shot Debut Album, Life Thru A Lens Does A Great Deal Of Justice To Robbie Fans' Claim That He Is The BIGGEST Thing From Britain Since THE BEATLES.The Album Is A Result Of A Long Legal Battle Against Him & His Record Company, Which Resulted The Excellent, But Controversial Song "Jesus In A Camper Van" Being Dropped, & Replaced By The Song "It's Only Us".You Could Find The Song "Jesus In A Camper Van" On The Compilation Album " The Ego Has Landed". In Fact As Many As 7 Songs Out Of The 12 Have Found A Place On That Album, So There's A Very Good Reason That You Should Be Pickin' Up The Album :-)
The Album Begins Off With A Bang, With The Song "Strong", Which Probably Is One Of Robbie's Under-Rated Songs. The Album Rolls On With Classics Musical Gems Like "No Regrets" (Which Remains On My All-Time Fav. List. It Features Niel Tennant Of Pet Shop Boys & Niel Hannon (Divine Comedy. The Next Track "Millennium" Was A Big Smash Hit Across Europe. The Other Songs Worth Of Note Are The Soft "Grace", The Oasisque " Karma Killer" & Of Course The Classic Ballad "She's The One", Which Shows Off Robbie's Class ,The Song by Karl Wallinger of World Party, ironic considering Williams' songwriting partner Guy Chambers was a former member of that band.There Are Hardly Any " Weak Songs" On The Album , Apart From The Slightly Monotonous "Win Some..Lose Some". On The Whole, The Album Is A Must-Buy For All Those Who Are Robbie Fans To The Core, Or I'd Recommend The Follow-Up Compilation "The Ego Has Landed" to those who simply want a good collection of Robbie Songs Before The 'Sing & Swing' Series

My subject line is what the title of this album should have been. Because by the summer of 1998, people doubted that Robbie could earn any respectability as a solo artist after his huge success with Life Thru A Lens, in particular his takeover of the UK charts with the hit single Angels that elevated Robbie as a mainstream pop phenomena.

But September 1998 came about and Robbie dropped the bomb. An instant classic chart-topper titled I've Been Expecting You. Along with Oasis, Robbie became the only British artist who released two consequetive number one hit albums back to back one year apart.

The album opens up with, surpisingly, a self confession, 'Strong' reveals that Robbie isn't who he really is in the public eye and that he is a man dealing with weaknesses and insecurity but that at the end of the day he feels happy to be making music. The track is an Oasis-esque rock song with the weirdest lyrics such as 'early mornin' when i wake up, i look like KISS but without the make-up, and that's a good line to take it to the bridge'
'No Regrets' is a powerful ballad, possibly more powerful than Angels. Robbie sticks and jabs at the unknown target with everything he's got. A song about losing a person you love so much and the anger and helplessness you feel that you talk to yourself about. 'Millenium' is a artsy pop song. Sounds disco with the theme of a James Bond movie. This is the song that crossed Robbie over the Atlantic and landed his first hit in America, but trust me there are way better tracks here and on his previous album than this one. 'Win Some Lose Some' features the voice of Robbie's ex and currently the love of Robbie's rival Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, Nicole Appleton. The song is a fun pop tune with those jingling acoustic guitar strums. 'Karma Killer' is powerhouse rock tune featuring a very angry Robbie. The song, like No Regrets, is a song about a guy who just lost his lover and isn't afraid to lash out at her. 'She's The One' is the best track on the entire album. A perfect mellow love song which brings out the best of Robbie's voice. 'Man Machine' is the album's own 'Let Me Entertain You', a powerful party tune and the album closer 'These Dreams' is a beautful and touching ballad about following one's dreams and not giving up on hope.

The album as a whole is a artistic statement from a man who spent the previous year in success over a debut album, but not knowing whether it was luck or out of pure talent. I've Been Expecting You proves that Life Thru A Lens was not luck. Robbie is a modern day pop genius where everything he touches turns to gold.

Highly Recommended

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