Robbie Williams BRITPOP
Robbie Williams's BRITPOP arrives as a jaunty, sometimes messy love letter to mid-90s British swagger, mixing anthemic hooks with tender moments of reconciliation. Across three professional reviews the record earned a 64.67/100 consensus score, and critics agree its pleasures are real even when the pastiche shows - the best songs often win by sheer personality rather than invention.
Reviewers consistently point to standouts that define the album's mood: “All My Life” and “Spies” are praised for swaggering melodies and singalong choruses, while “Human (feat. Jesse & Joy)” and “Rocket” supply surprising tenderness and scuzzy pub-rock charm; NME and The Guardian also single out “Pretty Face” as an Elastica/Republica-flavored highlight. Critics note recurring themes of nostalgia, self-mythologizing and domestic contentment, and they map the record's genre-hopping between synth-pop sheen and glam-inflected guitar that leans into both bravado and balladry.
Taken together the professional reviews paint BRITPOP as a bold, occasionally indulgent chapter in Williams's catalog: entertaining and often triumphant when its influences align, but sometimes sliding into affectionate pastiche rather than breakthrough invention. For readers wondering if BRITPOP is worth a listen, the consensus suggests its best tracks make it a rewarding, if not essential, stop on Robbie Williams's continuing career arc.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Pretty Face
1 mention
"‘Pretty Face’ bursts open with Elastica and Republica energy"— New Musical Express (NME)
All My Life
3 mentions
"who influenced the vocal intonation of All My Life"— The Guardian
Spies
3 mentions
"the wall of distorted guitars on Spies"— The Guardian
‘Pretty Face’ bursts open with Elastica and Republica energy
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Rocket
Spies
Pretty Face
Bite Your Tongue
Cocky
All My Life
Human (feat. Jesse & Joy)
Morrissey
You
It's OK Until The Drugs Stop Working
Pocket Rocket
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 3 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
In his characteristically wry, observant voice Alexis Petridis finds Robbie Williams both revisiting and misremembering a moment with BRITPOP. He singles out “All My Life” and “Spies” for their swaggering melodies and genuinely enjoyable nods to mid-90s hedonism, while praising the strange, unexpected beauty of “Human” as perhaps the album's best song. Petridis notes the album often slips into pastiche - Cocky feeling like Oasis circa Heathen Chemistry - yet when the influences lock in, the results can be hugely enjoyable. The result is an album that is engaging and occasionally triumphant, but never likely to unseat Williams’s true monster hits.
Key Points
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The best song, "Human," stands out for its unexpected beauty and guest contributions, making it the album's emotional high point.
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The album's core strength is its engaging, occasionally brilliant pastiche of mid-90s styles that still yields enjoyable melodies.
Themes
Critic's Take
In a sunburnt, self-aware stroll through nostalgia, Robbie Williams leans into the past on BRITPOP, and the best songs - notably “Rocket” and “Pretty Face” - do the heavy lifting. The reviewer's voice savours the daft charm of “Rocket” as a scuzzy pub-rock earworm while praising “Pretty Face” for its Elastica/Republica energy and an everyman chorus. Where bravado meets ballad, cuts like “Spies” and “It’s OK Until The Drugs Stop Working” land familiar Robbie lighters-up moments, even as cheeky rap detours on “Bite Your Tongue” and “You” divide. Ultimately, the album is bold, funny and self-aware, best enjoyed when you let its nostalgia and big choruses take you along.
Key Points
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“Rocket” is best for its scuzzy pub-rock earworm energy and capturing the album's retrospective mantra.
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The album’s core strengths are nostalgic songwriting, a balance of bravado and ballads, and self-aware, entertaining production.
Themes
Critic's Take
In a career reckoning Robbie Williams has turned to nostalgia and big choruses on BRITPOP, and the best songs - notably “All My Life” and “Morrissey” - are where his voice and mischief meet to great effect. The record is an unabashed joyride, full of hook-laden tracks and anthemic choruses, and “All My Life” in particular lands with defiant percussion and chugging guitar that make it one of the best tracks on BRITPOP. Equally surprising is the tenderness of “Morrissey”, whose Eighties synth warmth reframes an odd conceit into something almost endearing. Even when a rhyme makes you wince, Williams pulls off cheesiness with aplomb, which keeps these best songs entertaining rather than embarrassing.
Key Points
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“All My Life” is the standout for its defiant energy, rousing percussion and chugging guitar.
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The album's core strengths are hook-laden choruses, nostalgic Britpop references, and Williams’ still-impressive vocal delivery.