A Powerhouse Debut Album by a Pop Genius

I remember when I first heard of Take That. It was in a video for a song called "It Only Takes A Minute". They were still a brand new boy band in the footsteps of New Kids On The Block but they were british. Out of the five members, Robbie Williams stood out. He was the funniest, cheekiest member and he seemed to have more personality than the others. At the end of the video, there was Robbie pointing his finger up and crooning the line 'Just one minute...'. It was funny. 4 years later, Robbie left Take That and the future didn't seem too bright for the lad. He made several public appearances afterwards, one being as a host of the MTV Europe Awards in the fall of 1996. Prior to that Robbie had done a cover version of George Michael's Freedom. Not too impressing work there and more of a mockery of his boy band image. But Robbie struggled to change that. He hung out with Oasis, grew a goatie for a brief time, and began venturing into Rock music.
Old Before I Die was the first non-pop song Robbie came out with that was an original song that he wrote along with an unknown, Guy Chambers. Highly influenced by Britain's biggest rock band, Oasis, Robbie wanted if not needed to get into the new mainstream since boy band music became a joke. After months of slacking, but not really slacking, Robbie returned with a full length album titled 'Life Thru A Lens' in September of 1997. I think i was the only guy who bought that CD at a Music store in downtown Beirut, Lebanon. And for some crazy reason, i felt like i really wanted to love this album since it felt weird just to hear Robbie on his own and see what he can prove. I was impressed, no...more, I was taken completely by every song on the CD!

The opener struck a chord with me, 'Lazy Days' is a song about depression. A very Oasis-esque tune with the right lyrics. 'Life Thru A Lens' the title track is a fun tune about life in the public eye. 'Ego A Go-Go' is a personal attack from Robbie to his rival and former bandmate Gary Barlow, and manager. 'Angels' is the biggest ballad ever heard or written since Wonderwall. Not only did it spark the light of Robbie in the british conscience, but it had people take Robbie extremely seriously. This is a fine love song. The chorus, each verse, the music all speak for themselves. To this day, Robbie's best song. 'South Of The Border' is another rocker in the influencial direction of Oasis. 'Let Me Entertain You' can easily be viewed as Robbie's signature song. He is here to entertain us. He's good at it. He's been doing it since 1992, the difference is that he used to do it along with four other guys, now he's entertaining on his own but outweighing the entire Take That installment.
'Killing Me' is the most open Robbie song. It's an essential song about Robbie most intimate feelings of insecurity and unhappiness. The depression he began having as a member of Take That and how he escaped it through pretending to be the joker of the group. Reminds you a lot of the way John Lennon was with the Beatles. In fact, Killing Me is in the same league as Isolation from Lennon's debut album 'Plastic Ono Band'. 'Clean' is another fun track where you hear Robbie rhyming 'I'm Clean' with 'Charlie Sheen' and talking about kicking his addictions to the evil substances. 'Baby Girl Window' is a touching song and a beautiful album closer.

Robbie became much bigger, musically and artistically only a year later when he released I've Been Expecting You and finally getting praise in America.

Highly Recommended.

A

Gorgeous voice, mediocre album.

Robbie Williams has a fabulous voice. Truly. But this album doesn't do the best job showcasing it. The songs are short and empty and the lyrics are very trite. It's entirely possible that I'm expecting more than a pop star can offer... but I have faith. I'm currently looking into Robbie's other albums. If this guy can pair up with a great songwriter, he'll be set for life.

Immature, but Robbie took off from this very first trial...

I find it not easy to judge this album fairly for I began listening to it after purchasing the four later CDs from him. Undeniably this one is less powerful than other Robbie's megahits, but it's brilliant enough as a debut album. There were still resentment and uneasiness in his voice then. Nevertheless, I think everyone should commend Rob on his creativity and courage to release the album as he mocked on media explicitly and jeered his former partner from Take That but biggest enemy at that time- Gary Barlow. After so many years, songs like "Angels," "Old Before I Die," "Lazy Days," and so on still sound great to the ear, and Rob performs them regularly to keep those works alive.

Above all, if you're a loyal Rob fan, this one is a must-have to comprehend how his talent break out at the beginning. If not, I would recommend "I've Been Expecting You" or his latest "Escapology;" from them you can hear the genuine Rob style shine through.