Swing When You're Winning

by

Robbie Williams

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Ever since "Millenium" was released, I've been a fan of Robbie Williams. Why he hasn't become a major star in the U.S. is a mystery - perhaps he's too complex to be easily packaged. Indeed, Robbie shows how multi-faceted he is with "Swing When You're Winning," a primo collection of American standards. Robbie's voice has always been solid, but he really gets to show off his range here. Although he doesn't have the phrasing of a Sinatra or a Tony Bennett, his personality more than fills any gaps.

Aside from Robbie's voice and charm, the record is really held together by the extraordinary instrumentation. A number of other contemporary artists have tackled the great American songbook, but they have usually opted for updated backing that ends up sounding far too glossy and vapid. In contrast, most of the songs have instrumental tracks that are similar to what you might hear on a Sinatra record, often supplied by the London Session Orchestra.

I was first attracted to this CD by the duet between Robbie and Nicole Kidman on "Somethin' Stupid." Of course, the song was originally recorded by Frank and Nancy Sinatra (#1 in 1967). Robbie and Nicole sound really good together - voices intertwining sexily; their version went to #1 for 3 weeks in the U.K. A number of other songs feature guest vocals, mostly from British stars. "Things," a duet with British star Jane Horrocks ("Little Voice"), is another highlight. Originally made a hit by Bobby Darin (#3 in 1962), the song really sparkles with lively interplay between Robbie and Jane. The two sang together previously on one of Horrock's CDs, and the chemistry is plain to see.

Other duet partners include Rupert Everett ("They Can't Take That Away from Me"), Jon Lovitz ("Well, Did You Evah"), Jonathan Wilkes ("Me and My Shadow"), and Frank Sinatra ("It Was a Very Good Year"). I don't know who Wilkes is, but the two have some playful banter at the end of the song and sound quite well paired together. The duet with Sinatra, whereby Robbie's vocals are grafted onto the original version, is fine; however, I would have preferred to hear Robbie's solo version, as I'm not a fan of duets with deceased artists.

In addition, Robbie scores on his solo tracks. One surprise is the somewhat cheesy "Mr. Bojangles," to which Robbie very effectively brings some hipness as well as sadness. In addition to "Things," Robbie covers two other songs associated with Bobby Darin - "Mack the Knife" and "Beyond the Sea," and they're both good fun. The collection only features one original song, but it's a doozy - "I Will Talk and Hollywood Will Listen." The song is told from the point of view of a Hollywood wanna-be who has big dreams of success. It's a really fantastic song, co-written by Robbie and Guy Chambers, that sounds right at home with the classics, despite its contemporary name-dropping (Cameron Diaz, Kevin Spacey).

Finally, the liner notes are excellent, with details on all players for each song. Robbie also includes fun comments about each songs. I didn't have very high expectations for this CD, but Robbie really surprises. "Swing When You're Winning" is top-notch and really does swing. Most highly recommended.

I bought this CD mainly on the strength of one song I heard from it, the moody and elegant "One More for the Road", which Mr. Williams does to a T.

Listening to the rest of the album, however, I was expecting him to bring something of his own to the old swing songs popularized by the likes of Sinatra and Bobby Darin. "Mac the Knife" and "The Sea" are two songs that Bobby Darin took for his own with very individualistic style and phrasing. To my disappointment, though I have always liked the Darin versions (I am old enough that those were from my era.), Mr. Williams sang them exactly the same: the same phrasing, the same little jokes thrown in (Does he have any idea who Lotte Lenya was?), even the same "Look out, old Mackie's back!". He ought to have read/heard the originals, not just the recordings by the great song stylists of another era. Paying tribute to a singer one admires is one thing, copying his exact way of singing--no matter how well one does it--is quite another.

I WILL listen to this album. Mr. Williams does sing well, and the phrases he imitates were good the first time, and rhey are still good. But the imitative quality of the music takes the edge off the pleasure.