Robbie Williams – Rocket Review

Part-time ape and full-time performer Robbie Williams is back with lead single Rocket. Those categorised under the lazy “Britpop” tag will be horrified to see the name of Williams’ new album. Former simian singer Williams’ Britpop release is either set to be an amplified throwback of an era remembered more for Spice Girls and Oasis jingoism than the quality around it, or a mockery of that same jingoism, which casts a shadow over the solid works of the time. Either way, Williams has returned with Rocket, a fitting continuation of the Better Man biopic, as monkeys were often shot into the stratosphere, as Williams must know. A pairing with Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath and Jethro Tull fame may be a surprise, especially given the proclivity of Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne to eat animals he can carry in one hand. But here is a new step for Williams, and Iommi by extension.  

Power pop may seem like an obvious route back into the charts for Robbie “Cebidae” Williams, but Rocket is far more than a generalised stretch to public success. Williams captures the continuing charm of his modern-day material, pairs it with the glamorous, stylish instrumental swing which made his heyday so catchy, and pushes for a new sound. He is interested not in swinging from the contemporary, safe-sounding vines, and that is to the benefit of both artist and listener. Williams’ recent publicity has not restructured him as a loveable frontman, he was that before Better Man, and remains so. His time at the top of the charts feels sincere, and so too does Rocket, a thrilling song which may be the most surprising release Williams could have afforded his listeners, both returning and recent. Iommi adds a fresh layer to Williams’ already impressive sound. These are the harsher tones his image, his meaning found in lyrical choices, needed.  

Listeners are finally getting the album Williams wished he had written after leaving Take That. It is an antidote to the pop spectacle, the choreographed, and as a result, staged way of living. We are seeing this now in pop music too, stateside that is, with the backflipping insincerity of Benson Boone or the aggressively tepid waters of Luke Combs. Neither comes to mind when listening to Rocket, an outstanding new song from Williams, but when considering the weighty position of being a frontman, it certainly springs to mind. It does not take being the genuine self to get famous anymore. An adaptation of what sounds catchy, of shedding self-worth to fit the popular, chart-topping narrative, is of no interest to Williams here. Any art worth hearing is in service of the artist alone, perhaps a loved one at a push. That is what Rocket is for Williams.  

Not just a demand for the self to be better but that this future being, the one pushed to their limit, is a positive character. Williams has a genuine charm, intact as ever, on Rocket. This is a chance for Williams to explore a sound which interests him, and the heavy guitar work is a brilliant departure from his pop-ready preceding hits. That is not to say Rocket is better or worse than those offerings, especially since the straightforward lyrical choices are dependent on how you feel about Williams as a performer. For those who enjoy his style, the soft pop conditions he has put people through in the past, and the hidden depths many of those hits have, Rocket will prove to be a rewarding listen, so long as you can tough out the “beep beep” of this horn-featuring missile.