Sing When You're Winning

by

Robbie Williams

Edit

1. Name three hits by Kylie Minogue.

If you answer includes "Better The Devil You Know" and "Spinning Around" score 10. If you answer includes "The Locomotion" score 5. If you answer what's a Kylie Minogue, score zero.

2. In the song "Strong", Robbie says "my breath smells of a thousand fags". What does he mean?

If you answer too much smoking, score 10. If you answer anything else score zero.

3. The game shown on the cover of this album is..?

If you answer Football, score 10. Soccer, 5. Anything else, 0.

4. The end of this album contains a 17-minute gap of recorded silence, then, instead of a hidden track, Robbie announces that he doesn't feel like recording one this time. What's your reaction?

If you roll on the floor laughing, score 10. If you just don't get it, score 2. If you want your money back, score zero. If you immediately play the track again, score 100.

Personally, I love Robbie Williams music. I was championing him two years before his CD came out on this continent. But I just doubt that he's going to ever really become BIG in America. There are many reasons for this, label apathy, radio's reluctance to play anything by anyone over 20 these days, but most importantly Robbie steadfastly refuses to do things in an American way.

He is witty without dumbing down, vulgar without anger, self-effacing when most artists brag, and relentlessly, proudly British. His humour, his references, and his music are styled by a country that is these days as foreign to America as Khurdistan.

Yes, he's also one of the best live artists I've ever seen in my life, but not many have seen him live over here.

I wish Robbie the best, but I'm not holding my breath that this will be his breakthrough album.

But if you score above zero on the test, buy the CD.