Here's a couple of my recent CD reviews. Whoopee.

ROBBIE WILLIAMS

Rudebox

2 out of 5

What do you do when your boy band breaks up? The most obvious course of action is to become a solo artist. Mr. Williams did exactly that years ago and up until now has enjoyed a fair amount of success, probably due to his tongue-in-cheek, cheesy vibe that’s kind of likeable and he is ballsy enough to drop his trousers on stage. But one can only really carry off that shtick for so long before people remember that the whole reason you were famous to begin with was not because of some innate musical ability you had, but rather because you agreed to be a record label muppet and dance around on stage while someone else was pulling the strings. Rudebox may very well be the point at which people start thinking, “sorry, remind me again why you are famous?” (if they haven’t already thought this). The album is an amalgamation of styles, but mainly centers in on electro funk pop, with some of the songs trying desperately hard to sound like Gorillaz. He got some production help here and there from the Pet Shop Boys, and those songs are decent if unspectacular. The rest is just OK. I think the main problem he suffers from is that he’s a much better singer than he is a rapper, and yet he insists on rapping terrible lyrics throughout most of the album. Williams is very eager to entertain, and that may be cool for a live show, but as for listening to his album, I wouldn’t make it a priority.

RAY CHARLES AND THE COUNT BASIE ORCHESTRA

Ray Sings, Basie Swings

3 out of 5

As David Ritz so succinctly writes in this album’s liner notes, “This pairing never happened, but it should have.” The idea was born when record exec John Burk was going through some old tapes and found one labeled “Ray Charles and Count Basie.” However instead of being what he had hoped for, a collaboration between the two giants, the tapes were actually the two artists playing alternating sets at a mid-70s concert in Europe. The idea stuck with Burk, though, and with a little creative recording, they matched Ray’s solo voice tracks with a new recording of the still existing Count Basie Orchestra (Basie himself died in 1984).

Is it ethical to do such things to the works of an artist who is already deceased? There’s little doubt that the artists both respected each other a great deal, and upon listening to it, it’s clear enough that the result certainly harnesses some magic. The sound is bluesy, big band jazz and perfectly reflective of Charles’ repetoire at the time. No longer did he play songs he himself penned, but instead settled into what many call his much stronger role as an artist—that of master interpreter. This album features both songs he became well known for (“Georgia on My Mind”) as well as some interesting personalized renditions of not so well known material (Lennon/McCarney’s “The Long and Winding Road”). Great for the casual listener, but serious fans may find the renditions a bit less exciting as neither of these geniuses actually was there to approve the recording.