Robbie Williams To Join Take That If Album Flops

There is no debate that Robbie Williams is an artist in his own right, despite his career never really recovering from 2006 flop Rudebox, Robbie has maintained 14 years as a solo artist. There is no argument that he is the most successful of the group that he emerged from; Take That.

After leaving the band at the height of their career, after Williams allegedly wanted a change in musical direction, the band split and Robbie Williams seemed to live on reigning with a successful music career as a solo artist and also a womaniser according to many tabloid stories at the time. However fast forward ten years as Take That are about to emerge without it's now 'most successful' member and Robbie Williams is set to release a new record believed to be packed with enormous talent, but as the lead single aired on radio station, one in particular radio station aired the song too early than arranged by the record label, there was a mixed reception towards the song and of course the album followed in the same suit and the project was branded a 'flop'.

So after the band have proven that they can make it as a four piece as well as a nostalgic five piece Robbie played both the most reluctant and then the rehab cards and then in Melanie C style admitted defeat and rejoined the band that helped make his name. Take That have sold around 10 million records with Beautiful World (2006) and The Circus (2008) both without Williams and the success of the five piece made (with Williams) Progress (2010) resulted in a hat trick.

Now the group have temporarily disbanded, Barlow is doing his X Factor thing and no ones really cares about the other two and Williams is attempting another comeback which is an apparent decision maker whether or not he returns to the group. Robbie Williams' intentions make sense for his flailing solo career but for a band that has already had it's day, the morale needs keeping up in order to keep the fans, old or new, coming back for more and he doesn't seem to be much of a team player so for a band that has proven themselves to be just as good without the so-called-successful one as they are with him, then do Take That really need Robbie Williams?

Leona Lewis - Glassheart

Cosmetic surgery aside, Leona Lewis returns with the follow to-no-so resonating last effort... Echo(2009) with Glassheart.
Since the release of the unpredictable Collide in 2011 the world (mainly Leona Lewis fans and Simon Cowell) have waited with baited breath to see what the fast becoming dreary X Factor winner would come up with to save her career. The result may well pay off, Glassheart is a decent Pop record that still manages to remain a Leona Lewis record. Glassheart is a fine mixture of uptempo magic and haunting ballads that should put Lewis in good stead in updating her sound.
The album is a jump on the old band wagon as throughout, the album is a tug of war between Alexis Jordin and Emeli Sandé which proves as no surprise since the same team behind Alexis Jordin and Emeli Sandé herself are among the albums credits alongside Leona's constant collaborator Ryan Tedder.
The album opens up with Trouble, which is the perfect bridge from what Leona is known for and where she is about to take her fans when it opens up as a typical slow song but then smashes into the chorus with it's descriptive plea for someone to back off or they will get hurt over it's heavy Hip Hop drum beat. The song is light to start with and the drum beat only emphasises the dark side to the song.
The slow songs on the album still manage to match up to that that Leona is famous for such as Fireflies which features a child choir, well it was only a matter of time, Fingerprint and Lovebird which the latter speaks of life after growing apart from another and 'flying away', which features a retrospective Leona showcasing her emotional verses just like in signature tune Bleeding Love. Glassheart sees the mid tempo tracks sticking to the same old safe formula such as on Un Love Me and Stop The Clocks being reminiscent of throw back tune Better In Time.
Another 'ballad' that may please fans is the other Emeli Sandé song Colourblind, which could easily have been a Sandé song just like Trouble but in working with Sandé, Leona seems to have found an excellent writing partner to create another shade to Leona Lewis' palette alongside Ryan Tedder.
I to You is an intriguing sound, it starts of with another heavy drumbeat that is very similar to Jay Z/Alicia Keys' Empire State Of Mind, with haunting vocals questioning what someone's part is in their lovers life touching on all the aspects of love such as compromise and hurt.
The more uptempo songs on the album are the standout tracks on Glassheart, without standing out too much that they make the signature sound obsolete, but the standing out is mostly down to the change of direction in sound. All the songs on the album flow perfectly with the next just enough that it never seemed unpredictable from Leona Lewis in the first place.
Come Alive and title track Glassheart erases the Leona Lewis the world fell in love with. With the repetition of strong vocals, some with effect, over a Dubstep backdrop, it is clear why it is important for Lewis to make a shift in her sound as she has managed to pull it off effortlessly. However she does run the risk of becoming another pop star cardboard cut out just like Alexis Jordin. The tracklist helps with the notion that Leona Lewis has possibly sold out and jumped on the band wagon as the Dance songs are so cleverly placed among the typical Leona Lewis tracks that by the time the next dance track comes around, it is refreshing and just rejuvenates itself and therefore the same with the sound we are used to from her as the album progresses.
Glassheart is a decent effort for a first attempt in change of direction, without it being too far a cry form older work.