Search - Robbie Williams :: Life Thru a Lens

All we dared hope for, and much much more.

darragh o'donoghue | 06/06/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Robbie may have gone on to make better (or at least more consistently satisfying) albums, but 'Life thru a lens' will always retain pride of place in the hearts of us Robbiephiles, when, what could have been a self-pitying play for sympathy (especially after that misjudged first single, the cover of 'Freedom'), turned out not to need any excuses whatsoever. At the time, cred-building Robbie was finding succour in then-popular Oasis, and their baleful influence can be seen on songs like 'Lazy Days' and 'South of the Border', although he brings his own alchemical ingredients, like 'imagination' and 'wit', though, sadly, not 'melody'. There are a couple of lovely ballads here ('One of God's better people', 'Baby Girl Window'), and 'Clean' is an amusingly self-mocking take on the pop star misbehaving in public (Robbie's lyrics are so endearingly naive in their confessional literalism they frequently become clever and truthful). It is, of course, the magnificent singles that sustain 'Lens', all using Robbie's 60s/70s/showbiz fascinations with intelligence: the speedpop ranting title track; the pubrock humility of 'Old Before I die'; the simultaneously arrogant and gracious 'Let me entertain you', a Kiss-tribute rock dazzler that easily out-pummells its source. Oh, and a trifle called 'Angels', a song of staggering (emotional) maturity, a ballad whose poignancy arises from the recognition that happiness, never mind perfection, is an ungraspable dream: it is, quite simply, one of the ten best songs ever written."

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

Debby | Taiwan, R.O.C | 09/26/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."