Robbie Williams' tribute to MJ

It is so easy to like the music of Britain’s top pop star Robbie Williams. His albums are so well-thought out and production marvels. One can’t help but appreciate all the hard work the former Take That member puts into them. He is also daring. He can be a cute pop idol, the rocking bad boy or the suave crooner. And through it all, there is that remarkable voice that always performs with so much passion.

Robbie has a new album titled Reality Killed The Video Star. The title was doubtless inspired by Video Killed The Radio Star, an old song by a one-hit wonder group, The Buggles. While the first one referred to how music videos took over radio as main source of new music releases, Robbie’s is about how reality TV has now become the main source for new, often surprising stars. 

Come to think of it, the lead cut in the album the dramatic Morning Sun is said to be Robbie’s tribute to Michael Jackson. It is a sad ballad about loss and Robbie does it beautifully. Maybe giving his CD the title Reality Killed The Video Star was his way of commenting on MJ’s life. Jackson was the biggest video star ever. Think of the phenomenal Thriller. But it looks like that huge success made him unable to cope with reality.

I hope that Williams, who is also a big star, is doing better with his reality so he will be able to entertain his public for many more years to come. The depth and range of the music in his Reality CD is simply amazing. Songs can be vastly different from one another but he threads them together with so much ease. It feels as though he is merely toying around with songs, just casually tossing them out one after the other.

 Deceptacon is the best of all. It sounds strangely heavenly, like a return to the style of Angel, one of Robbie’s biggest hits. Radio will love Starstruck, with its catchy melody and old-fashioned pop-soul vibe. If you want something laidback for quiet moments, there is Superblind. If you still long for Robbie to again channel the Rat Pack of the early ‘60s, there’s the single release You Know Me. Finger snapping is all this one lacks to complete the mood. I will not be surprised if this one gets into the Mad Men soundtrack one of these days.

Reality Killed The Video Star is another triumph for Robbie. It deserves a spot alongside his other memorable albums, Escapology, Sing When You’re Winning and I’ve Been Expecting You.

Robbie has sold over 55 million albums since leaving Take That; won more awards than any other act in British pop music history; sold the most concert tickets in one day for his Close Encounters tour in 2006; and performed for 375,000 people during his sold-out three-nighter at Knebworth.

The music of Avatar

James Cameron’s Avatar was named Best Picture at the 67th Golden Globe Awards last Sunday, Jan. 17 but its theme song I See You by Leona Lewis, lost out to The Weary Kind composed by country music legends Ryan Bingham and T-Bone Burnett for the film Crazy Heart in the Best Song Written For A Motion Picture or TV Show category. Bingham also sings the song in the soundtrack album, which boasts of cuts by stars Jeff Daniels and Colin Farrell.

Also nominated I Want To Come Home by Paul McCartney from Everybody’s Fine; Cinema Italiano, a new song composed by Maury Yeston for Nine where it was performed by Kate Hudson and Winter from Brothers by U2 and Bono.

The 1st hits of 2010

And now the first hits of 2010 as per the Hot 100 tunes Billboard listing: Tik Tok by Ke$ha; Bad Romance by Lady Gaga; Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys; Replay by Iyaz; Fireflies by Owl City; Sexy Chick by David Guetta featuring Akon; Blah Blah Blah by Ke$ha feat. 3OH!3; BedRock by Young Money feat. I Lovd; Hard by Rihanna feat. Jeezy; and Down by Jay Sean feat. Lil Wayne.

The Top 20 titles in the Top 200 Albums and Music Album Chart are: I Dreamed A Dream by Susan Boyle; The Fame by Lady Gaga; The Element Of Freedom by Alicia Keys; Stronger With Each Tear by Mary J. Blige; Alvin And The Chipmunks, the movie soundtrack; Fearless by Taylor Swift; The E.N.D. by The Black Eyed Peas; My World by Justin Bieber; and The Fame Monster by Lady Gaga.