Stoke's favourite son's sixth studio album marks a new stage in the career of Mr Robert Peter Williams, Britain's favourite popular entertainer. Severed from his former right hand man, songwriter Guy Chambers, Intensive Care sees him forging a new partnership with former Lilac Time stalwart Stephen Duffy. The result is his most complete album to date, free from the gimmicky fillers--like "Me and My Monkey" and "Jesus In A Camper Van"--that tended to drag previous efforts down.Never short of cocksure bravado, Robbie starts proceedings off with a modest declaration???"Here I stand victorious, the only man who made you come", but for once he's got the tunes to back up the posturing. There're plenty of classic Robbie tracks, from the ballad-tastic "Advertising Space"--which should see "Angels" relegated to the backbenches--to the public confessional of "The Trouble With Me"; plus some daring departures in between, from the '80s pop fun of "Sin Sin Sin" to the Rolling Stones-a-like "A Place To Crash", via the Oasis-lite of "Make Me Pure" and the Smiths-esque guitars on "Your Gay Friend". You can't help but feel that Mr Williams has a point to make with this album, to all the people who said he'd be nothing without Guy Chambers; if that is the case, he couldn't have gone about it a better way than by serving up the best album of his career to date. --Melanie Wilkin

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EMI paid the Take That star ??80 million for a 4 album deal/ contract. It is second only in value to the colossal ??625 million deal offered to Michael Jackson by Sony in 1991.

With the British Phonographic Association announcing UK record sales were down 15.4 per cent earlier this year and EMI suffering a 40% fall in profits, record labels have looked for other ways to cash in on their artists.

It is a risky strategy for EMI and I think Robbie Williams will sink EMI the same way as the mighty Michael Cimino sank UA studios with "Heavens Gate". At least Cimino is talented, I cant say the same for Robbie Williams.

In 2001, EMI signed a five-album deal with the US singer Mariah Carey worth ??70 million but, when her first release, Glitter, flopped in the charts, the company was forced to buy themselves out of the contract, paying Carey ??20 million.

Williams is considered a safer bet, despite being in his late-twenties and no longer appealing to the pre-teen market which makes up the largest section of the record-buying public. His last bestselling album was the big-band compilation, Swing When You're Winning, which showed he cannot sing, and he is capable of appealing to an older market and people who are deaf.

Like a performing pop monkey, Robbie always manages to keep going, some kind of gurning, self-depreciating, self-loathing hero who just can't help making pop music, despite himself.

All hail king of the bland. I don't get Robbie Williams success musically at all. I've listened to the albums. I'm willing to admit that there's a reasonable pop talent there - better and more articulate and more interesting than a million forcefed diva puppets. But greatness? No. Robbie will never be great.

Robbie will always be, at best, a famous person who makes records. Not someone who makes records who happens to be famous. And this is the immense gulf between the two.

Robbie sells not because he is good, but because he's Robbie Williams. He's that geezer what sung "Angels", and we all love him. Geez. How hard is it exactly, to be incredibly rich, and be able to have anyone you want, and not be able to walk down the street?

"The ultimate sanction of those in the public eye is withdrawl" - Paul Morley.

And yet, Robbie can't disconnect. He. Cannot. He needs the touch of the crowd like a junkie needs a fix. He can't let go. And so, with his carefully packaged team and image, the ever daring Robbie dabbles with some kind of pop reggae and stadium platitudes that rarely step outside of the bland musical box he's put himself into and wound himself up inside.

The opening "Ghosts", like any Robbie song manages some kind of vaguely clever wordplay, mixed with charmless arrogance and a featureless backing track. Whilst not the McDonalds of pop, Robbie comes close in formulaic massproduced loathing. Robbie - for people who think Blue are just a little bit boring.

I know he's a star, and yet, I find it difficult to tell the songs apart, or even care. The only time I can really tell songs finish is when there's some silence. "Tripping" manages to spotweld an almost memorable chorus with some lyrics about people who've done `Bird', and the kind of music that UB40 would buy off Max Thingummy so they could crack the charts once again.

"Make Me Pure", "Spread Your Wings", "Please Don't Die", "Random Acts Of Kindness"- these are the type of titles that wouldn't be out of place on a Bette Midler album. Musically they're about the same : pop music for people whose passion for art is akin to their interest in what type of food they eat. They don't care. I'll buy some music. Robbie'll do.

In fact, it's two songs that were originally destined for Robbie's longmooted PureFrancis alter-ego that are by far the best things here : "Your Gay Friend" and "Sin Sin Sin" are easily the most interesting things on the album by an enormous margin. In the same way that 2004's "Radio" was an intruiging left turn, these two semi-disco epics are enormous, brilliant, and bizarre. Sadly, it's over too soon in favour of old fashioned stadium rock that would shame even Bon Jovi.

In the end `Intensive Care' is homogenous sludge with a singer that hints at a potential for being interesting that his recorded career has only seen glimpses of. If Robbie cut loose of his traditional writing team and investigated the musical leftfield, he could achieve the greatness he obviously aspires to.

Yes, bored. Bored of this ego maniac, devoid of talent who has hung around far too long. I mean if someone like Robbie Williams came out with one or two bland pop albums, had the usual collections of kids, housewifes and philistine's purchase it and then disappear back into the obscurity he came from that would be acceptable. But no, here he is something like ten years after leaving a boy band where he played the part of 'chubby dancer' churning out corporate pop music of which his input is about 3%, oh and giving the odd 'look at me I'm so tortured' interview (one of which took place in the same week he was spoted at a charity football match laughing and high fiving his fellow light entertainment bores Ant & Dec) and the masses still gobble it up like starving dogs.
I really do despair, but there again I'm even annoyed with myself for bothering to write this!

This really is a great album and, in my opinion, Robbie's finest. He really has arrived as an excellent singer/songwriter. The lyrics are truly brilliant and the best he has ever written. There are various highlights on this CD: Ghosts, Tripping, A Place to Crash, Advertising Space and Please Don't Die.

One of my favourite adult contempory albums.

I've seen robbie grow up through the eye of the media. I remember Seeing him when he was jumping around in that "It only takes a minute" video. lol Does anyone remember gary barlow saying that he always felt a little threatened by robbie from the start? cos he had this amazing voice and an equally powerful personality. I mean cmon, this guy started singing and dancing early, joined take that, left take that, has had his share of messy situations here and there, has at some point or another questioned his musical ability...the thing is, robbie's very human...very real and very personable and just innately sweet the woman love the guy cant say he is my type as i prefer woman sorry robbie lol and this all comes out in intensive care. love or hate him, moan about the fact that he doesn't write his own songs...but he makes the songs his, rob's a born entertainer and there's talent and sheer hardwork there that nobody can deny. yeah there are tracks that aren't hit worthy on intensive care, but on the whole, its a very good album. people buy it, radios play it, we are here talking about it and he sells out concerts in minutes. Comercialy one of uks best artist if not the best!! fantastic robbie keep up the good work...