"Let Me Entertain You" single (Robbie Williams)

"Let Me Entertain You" was released as a single from Robbie Williams' Life Thru a Lens. The a-side has grown to be one of my favourite Williams tracks. The single is backed with a neat live medley with Tom Jones of songs featured on the soundtrack to The Full Monty, a great remake of Pet Shop Boys' "I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing," and a cool track entitled "I Am the (Res)Erection." For me, the highlight of these b-sides is "I Wouldn't..." as it's a very solid interpretation of strong material. Overall, another quality single from a quality artist.

Tracks:
1. Let Me Entertain You
2. Medley of songs from the motion picture soundtrack 'The Full Monty' (with Tom Jones)
3. I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing
4. I Am the (Res)Erection

"It's Only Us" / "She's the One" single (Robbie Williams)

Robbie Williams's "It's Only Us" was featured in the video game FIFA 2000. Originally a non-album track, it eventually would replace "Jesus in a Camper Van" on I've Been Expecting You due to legal issues. Since my copy of Expecting contains "Jesus," and "It's Only Us" is up there amongst my favourite Williams songs, I had to pick up a copy of the single release, a double a-side with his version of "She's the One." The b-side here is "Coke & Tears," a live track. It's pretty cool and definitely worth hearing.

Tracks:
1. It's Only Us
2. She's the One
3. Coke & Tears

Swing When You're Winning (Robbie Williams)

Swing When You're Winning is a bit of an anomaly in the Robbie Williams catalogue. Rather than featuring originals, this is a standards album, with the lone exception of the opening track. I wasn't too sure what to expect from this album. Obviously, I'm a big fan of Robbie Williams, and I also very much like well-executed albums of classic songs. Still, I wasn't too sure how well the two would combine.

The result, however, is gratifying. I wouldn't call this the best standards album I'd heard, nor would I call it the best Robbie Williams album. Still, the songs on here are well-chosen, and Williams delivers a performance that evidences an actual appreciation for the material. There's very little here that sounds hollow, and for the most part, I'd be willing to say he enjoyed recording this. Also, opening track "I Will Talk and Hollywood Will Listen" is a great song that, in my opinion, would have made a nice single. It is one of the highlights, along with a great rendition of "Ain't That a Kick in the Head," a fun take on "Well, Did You Evah" with Jon Lovitz, Darin-inspired versions of "Mack the Knife" and "Beyond the Sea," and a cool Jane Horrocks duet on "Things." The big single off the album, a version of "Somethin' Stupid" performed with Nicole Kidman, is also a rewarding listen. Overall, it's an effort that I think many can appreciate.

Tracks:
1. I Will Talk and Hollywood Will Listen
2. Mack the Knife
3. Somethin' Stupid (with Nicole Kidman)
4. Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
5. It Was a Very Good Year (with Frank Sinatra)
6. Straighten Up and Fly Right
7. Well, Did You Evah (with Jon Lovitz)
8. Mr. Bojangles
9. One for My Baby
10. Things (with Jane Horrocks)
11. Ain't That a Kick in the Head
12. They Can't Take That Away From Me
13. Have You Met Miss Jones?
14. Me and My Shadow (with Jonathan Wilkes)
15. Beyond the Sea

Sing When You're Winning (Robbie Williams)

Robbie Williams's 2000 album Sing When You're Winning contains another of my favorites of his, the megahit "Rock DJ." Other awesome singles from the album include "Supreme," "The Road to Mandalay," "Let Love Be Your Energy," "Better Man," and the Kylie Minogue duet "Kids." The album tracks are, as usual, also very strong, with songs like "Singing for the Lonely" and "Knutsford City Limits" rounding out the album very nicely. Another winner from Williams!

Tracks:
1. Let Love Be Your Energy
2. Better Man
3. Rock DJ
4. Supreme
5. Kids (with Kylie Minogue)
6. If It's Hurting You
7. Singing for the Lonely
8. Love Calling Earth
9. Knutsford City Limits
10. Forever Texas
11. By All Means Necessary
12. The Road to Mandalay

I've Been Expecting You (Robbie Williams)

On Robbie Williams's sophomore solo album, 1998's I've Been Expecting You, the artist really hits his stride. The songwriting and music are very tight, and Williams's style has been fleshed out, with further hints of the diversity that would appear on later albums here. I'll spare the rambling (since the previous and next entries about Williams do plenty of gushing already) and just say, it's a winner.

Tracks:
1. Strong
2. No Regrets
3. Millennium
4. Phoenix from the Flames
5. Win Some Lose Some
6. Grace
7. Jesus in a Camper Van
8. Heaven from Here
9. Karma Killer
10. She's the One
11. Man Machine
12. These Dreams (includes hidden tracks "Stand Your Ground" and "Stalker's Day Off (I've Been Hanging Around)")

"Sexed Up" single (Robbie Williams)

"Sexed Up" was one of the singles released in 2003 to promote Robbie Williams's Escapology album. The a-side is the album version, which is a cool song in its own right, but the reason to get this single is a pair of top-notch b-sides. They're two original compositions: "Get a Little High" and "Appliance of Science." Both are excellent songs and worth a listen. Only in a catalogue as strong as Williams's would songs like these be relegated to b-side status.

Tracks:
1. Sexed Up
2. Get a Little High
3. Appliance of Science

Escapology (Robbie Williams)

Williams's Escapology album was released in 2002. It spawned one of my favorite of his singles, "Come Undone," a song which I would easily consider one of the best ever released by any artist. By the time this album had come out, Williams had had plenty of time to hit his stride, and he's in fine form from start to finish here. Other great singles like "Feel," "Something Beautiful," and "Sexed Up," as well as excellent album tracks like "Revolution," "Handsome Man," and "Cursed," show Williams's diversity and, perhaps most importantly, showcase his excellent songwriting. This is one of those 2000s albums that should come to be viewed as essential.

Tracks:
1. How Peculiar
2. Feel
3. Something Beautiful
4. Monsoon
5. Sexed Up
6. Love Somebody
7. Revolution
8. Handsome Man
9. Come Undone
10. Me and My Monkey
11. Song 3
12. Hot Fudge
13. Cursed
14. Nan's Song

"Freedom" single (Robbie Williams)

Before Life Thru a Lens was released, Williams released a single that was a remake of George Michael's "Freedom." According to an interview snippet present on the single, this was largely because he felt he could relate to the song's lyrics, and also to some degree as a tribute to George Michael himself, a great singer-songwriter.

Williams has good taste in music, and he picked a song that he could perform adequately. It doesn't surpass Michael's version, nor is it one of the top releases in Williams's catalogue, but it was meant to be neither of those things; rather, it was intended to send a message, and this it does well. My favourite of the included versions is the Arthur Baker mix, which adds a bit of flair to the track. Overall, it's a good rendition of excellent material as performed by an amazing artist.

Tracks:
1. Freedom (radio edit)
2. Freedom (Arthur Baker mix)
3. Freedom (The Next Big Genn mix)
4. Interview

Life Thru a Lens (Robbie Williams)

I've recently been on a Robbie Williams kick, and so I decided to go ahead and fill in some holes in my collection of his music. Life Thru a Lens is the first solo album Williams released back in 1997. It contains such great hit singles as "Let Me Entertain You," "Old Before I Die," and "South of the Border." Its best known hit is probably "Angels." The album as a whole is quite good. Such album tracks as "Ego a Go Go" and "Killing Me" help make this a very solid solo debut.

Tracks:
1. Lazy Days
2. Life Thru a Lens
3. Ego a Go Go
4. Angels
5. South of the Border
6. Old Before I Die
7. One of God's Better People
8. Let Me Entertain You
9. Killing Me
10. Clean
11. Baby Girl Window

"Come Undone" single (Robbie Williams)

I recently picked up the single for Robbie Williams's "Come Undone." The a-side is one of my favourite Williams tracks. Great lyrics, great delivery, great song. The first b-side, "One Fine Day," is also a solid track. However, I like the other b-side, "Happy Easter (War Is Coming)," even more. The sound of the intro is almost Weezer-ish, in a good way, but the rest of the song is classic Robbie Williams. Good stuff.

Tracks:
1. Come Undone
2. One Fine Day
3. Happy Easter (War Is Coming)