[.ca] Williams, Robbie: 2001: Live At The Albert

From Amazon.com:
Recorded before the U.K. release of Swing While You're Winning, Robbie Williams's renditions of pop standards on Live at the Albert are at once delightful and disorienting. It's long been known that Williams is enamored of the Rat Pack, and here he lives out an illusion of being one of them. Clearly the jaunty singer is having a ball. The production is impeccable, the chorus girls are beautiful, his voice is in fine form--even his sweat-soaked, cuff-linked shirt hangs on him perfectly. But often Williams's trademark sarcasm and well-documented insecurities overshadow his love of the music. The strangest moment of the show occurs during an intermission, when MC Rupert Everett quizzes the audience on how much they love Robbie Williams. Although delivered with a wink, the stunt is most un-Rat Pack-like. The show as a whole seems like a surreal dream in which Robbie is at once working out his self-doubt and living his fantasy. And on a very conscious level, that is exactly what he is doing. --Beth Massa

Additional Features:
The DVD bonus footage is a treat--including an exhilarated Williams singing in the same Capitol Records studio where Sinatra recorded, and the making of the video for his duet with Nicole Kidman, "Something Stupid." --Beth Massa

the most handsome man:
once again, Robbie Williams will surprise you with his beauty, with his excellent talent!, Robbie Williams is loved by me, he is wanted by me, he is all i need. so, i recommend you buy this dvd with 5.1 dolby. he appears like a formal guy but his show will make everyone stand up from their seats, Robbie come to Lima,Peru i'm waiting for you!

Robbie concert review:
I have to say that I agree with the critics on this one. His vocals are just simply not good enough. This is evident from the first song Mrs. Jones to the final song My Way. Even the biggest Robbie fan must admit that he cannot handle this genre of music as it is out of his range (and ability). Can anyone truly say that he is a very talented singer? Buy his other albums instead. They suit his singing ability a lot more and give him the chance to show that he is a decent pop star. He is not a superstar though as some people have made out.

Passport to swing:
I don't think I could say more than you've reviewed. But... I only will say that this work from Robbie Williams is perhaps one of the most beautiful and RESPECTFUL works in adapting music to a new generation, a new cosmovision. This work from Robbie Williams is, I think, a passport to swing music. He has made all of us know the swing, and he brings to life old songs form far years. In addition, you'll see an almost "serious" Rob, perfectly compenetrated with his work, and some "guest" that make the show go amazing. I think if you like this kind of music, or you just want to know about it, or simply you like this cute singer, you should buy this DVD. PD: We want to listen to Robbie in Argentina, Please! Managers, and people related with the tours, take note of this!

NOT LIKE FRANK OR DINO BUT NOT TOO BAD AS WELL:
If I had to write one sentence to sum up my thoughts on Robbie Williams and this DVD, still it wouldn't be about Robbie Williams. All I can say would be "This DVD and Robbie Williams are living proofs of Frank and Dean are unique". But in anyway, I liked Robbie Williams. I liked him because I can feel that this man respects Dino and Frank indeed ! In spite of exagerated (or forced) crying scene at the end when he sings "My Way". But there is always a disadvantage for singers who sing Dean or Frank songs: Comparison. No need to tell Robbie Williams lacks the good looks of Dean and charisma of Frank. Just close your eyes when he sings their songs and think about original ones, you'll understand what I mean. Albert Hall is a magnificent place ! And Williams fits well on this Hall. Overall he is good. He can entertain. One word of warning, he speaks dirty. So be careful when you watch this DVD with your children.

Almost Perfect:
Stunningly entertaining, Williams is as good as he wants to be. In this DVD, a one-time-only, SRO concert at London's Royal Albert Hall, he showcases the songs that were to appear on his "Swing When You're Winning" CD (that's right- he did the concert BEFORE the album was released). To say that Williams can sing is an understatement. He has a gifted voice and great range enhanced by instinctively superb timing and phrasing. Those qualities are even more pronounced when he performs live. Not surprisingly, therefore, he demonstrates here that he can as easily apply his skills to songs of his parent's generation as he does to those of his own. From the moment he slides down a 20-foot fire pole to begin his first number, he is dramatically in command. He then seamlessly glides through a host of selections that would make the "Chairman of the Board" proud. Announcing each title as he goes along, he also uses the segues as opportunities to poke typical fun at himself, invoking the trademark Williams charm while he holds his receptive audience, peppered with celebrities and dignitaries, right in the palm of his hand. Accompanied ably by a 58-piece orchestra, he is joined at times for duets by John Lovitz, his 'flatmate' Jonathan Wilkes, and female singer Jane Horrocks to spice up the evening. The video authentically captures the brilliance of the evening with excellent sound reproduction and a multitude of well-edited camera shots. As good as Williams sounds singing this era, however, he regrettably is not OF the era, and it is in that reality that the only flaw to this performance lies. He appears comfortable, indeed enthusiastic, doing the material, but his approach at times is more as a mimic than as a singer in his own right. While this purposeful, deferential gesture is respectful and even admirable, it suggests feigning. Had he consistently, as he does on some, simply employed his own rendition of these classics, however Post-Millennium, it would have played much better. For example, on a song such as 'Make It One For My Baby,' during which he tries to ape the Sinatra persona, including open collar, lit cigarette in hand, and dimmed bar room-like lighting, his voice and body language lack the appropriate edge. He is too eager, too anxious. The mood is too contrived. In short, he simply isn't Frank! Witness by comparison his moving delivery on 'I Will Talk and Hollywood Will Listen,' an original song he composed with his writing partner, Guy Chambers. On this, his composure is genuine, and the contrast is as telling as it is unmistakable. Criticism aside, the "Robbie Williams Live At the Albert" DVD is nonetheless a wonderful treasure. Beyond the music, it provides us further glimpses into this enigmatic but compelling figure. In addition to the concert performance, the disc includes back stage footage, clips from the record session for "Swing When You're Winning," the video of his duet with Nicole Kidman on "Something Stupid" which was spawned by one of the tracks from that album, and a section of random concert and video shots from previous Robbie Williams' endeavors, cleverly entitled "The Day Job." Finally, this whole Swing project(the Albert Hall Concert and the Swing CD) speaks (sings) volumes about the enormous and, we now know, diverse talent that this entertainment genius possesses and is a solid testament to his resolve. Indeed, it is of no little consequence that he chose, against the advice of his handlers, to go completely away from the material that his audience had come to expect, nay demand. For those critics who argue, inaccurately I would submit, that this departure is yet again more evidence of Robbie's inability to find his musical niche, they should remember that this move was, at best, a gamble and one that had the potential to damage his career. In truth, it reveals that this reputedly "paranoid" artist not only can do it all but has more musical confidence than even he would admit.