Robbie Williams - Something Beautiful (EMI: Chrysalis)
release date: 28 July 2003
Something Beautiful is the sleeper on Escapology. Robbie Williams's genius lies hugely in his revisiting ‘60s and ‘70s sounds and making something new and personal of them.
In Something Beautiful we hear hints of The Supremes; funky R&B; a parodic backing group ("Yeh Yeh Yeh") worthy of Velvet Underground. It'll be a hit in Old Compton Street with its promise of "something beautiful... by the end of the day."
The real treat however is B-side Berliner Star, a bittersweet, apparently autobiographical ballad ("wasted in action/instant satisfaction") with interrogative backing that distances the singer from reality, and ambient sound riffs from the mysterious world of King Crimson that further isolate the subject for dissection of the soul. This one's going to play over and over.
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