If a young singer just starting out named his album Take the Crown, it would seem presumptuous. But from Robbie Williams, this is a pertinent choice, because for a long time he held that coveted coronet.
In 1995, when he left Britain's biggest pop group, Williams was written off by just about everyone. He was the popular rebel in Take That, but not the group's songwriter or lead singer. There were rumours of drug abuse, which Williams himself later confirmed, and he seemed more interested in partying than the pop charts.
But over the next decade, Robbie Williams established himself as one of the biggest solo stars around. He never cracked America, but became a platinum-selling artist nearly everywhere else. Williams was a natural showman, a compelling mix of ego and vulnerability. He wrote some of the defining pop songs of the times with his songwriting partner Guy Chambers. In 2005, his signature ballad Angels was voted the best British single of the past 25 years, beating hits by Kate Bush, Elton John and George Michael.
In November 2005, Williams broke a world record by selling 1.6 million concert tickets in a single day. Yet just 12 months later, he was facing up to his first flop record. Of course, flop is a relative term here. His 2006 LP Rudebox, a riskier collection of dance-influenced songs, was still one of the year's top 20 sellers in the United Kingdom, but it failed to match the success of his previous efforts. Two years later, it was reported that Williams' record label had shipped a million unsold Rudebox CDs to China to be recycled and used in road resurfacing.
When his crown slipped, Williams considered quitting the music business. "I didn't really care about my career in 2006," he recalled recently. "I just felt incredibly lethargic and like I couldn't live up to the requirements of being a pop star."
He eventually returned in 2009 with a new album called Reality Killed the Video Star. Its title was a classic example of Robbie Williams wordplay, and many critics hailed it as a comeback, but Williams has since dismissed the record. This September, he told the BBC that he chose not to tour that year because he "wasn't into [the album] that much".
Williams' salvation came when he decided to return to his musical roots, taking what he calls a "busman's holiday". In a cruel twist of fate, while his career was on the wane, the rest of Take That had reunited without him and staged a remarkable comeback. Their 2008 album The Circus went seven times platinum in the UK - the level of success Williams had got used to before Rudebox flopped.
At the height of his solo career, Williams wasn't always complimentary about Take That. He had a notoriously fraught relationship with one band member, Gary Barlow, who had been the group's musical driving force, much to Williams' frustration. But in 2010, past grievances were set aside and Williams rejoined Take That for a successful new album. A spin-off tour followed in 2011, selling 1.8 million tickets across Europe.
Touring with his old band mates proved to be the boost that Williams needed. During each show, he got to perform a 30-minute solo set featuring a selection of his own hits. "Going out there every night, just me for that little bit of time, and seeing the reaction of the crowd, that gave me the confidence to do the solo stuff now," he said recently.
At this point, feeling re-energised, Robbie Williams could have chosen to write a new solo album with anyone he wanted. Ever the maverick, he plumped for a virtually unknown Australian duo called The Undercolours, an act he discovered through his brother-in-law. He flew them to his LA home, and in just eight days the bulk of a new album had been written. The Undercolours are university students who still live with their parents, and Williams says he responded to their "fortuitous blend of youth, naivete and hope".
Sniffing a hit, Williams brought in producer Jacknife Lee to give his new album a stadium-sized sound. And to write the catchy lead single, Candy, he teamed up with his Take That bandmate Gary Barlow. Rather sweetly, Williams now describes his former nemesis as the "older brother I'm looking for approval from".
Today, with the album about to come out, Robbie Williams is clearly thinking big. In a recent interview the singer declared: "I want to dominate the charts. I want to take on the world. I want to be a top pop star … it's called Take the Crown for that reason."
As ever, it's hard not to admire his audacity. Williams opens the album with a swaggering Killers-style anthem called Be a Boy, whose lyrics read like a statement of intent. "They said it was leaving me, the magic was leaving me, I don't think so," he sings on the chorus. Later in the song, just in case there are lingering doubts, Williams adds: "I can make this last forever."
He maintains this confidence on many of the songs that follow. All That I Want sees Williams play the Lothario over a grinding disco-rock backing. Not Like the Others is a stomper that recalls the Britpop sound of the 1990s. And on a song called Gospel, Williams raises a glass to those "who always wish me well" - before advising those who haven't to do something unprintable.
However, he's not all bluster and bravado here. Different is the grandest-sounding song on the album, but the lyrics are laced with self-doubt. "This time I'll be better I want you to know, this time I'll be special, oh God make it so," goes the chorus. Is he singing to a girlfriend he's let down in the past, or is this a message to his fans?
The album ends with Losers, a song about self-acceptance which Williams records as a duet with folk singer Lissie. "I don't care about being a winner, or being smooth with women, or going out on Fridays, or being the life of parties," he sings here. It's hardly the first time that a pop star has renounced his frivolous past, but the execution is affecting nonetheless.
Take the Crown is nowhere near a perfect album. By now, Williams should have outgrown writing throwaway songs like Hey Wow Yeah Yeah, which sounds like a Pink cast-off. At other times, his voice sounds a bit ragged, perhaps a by-product of years spent chain-smoking. And though he's older and wiser, Williams remains a frustrating lyricist.
He's capable of being poignant and witty, but sometimes seems to pair words together just because they sound good. Candy, a song about a spoilt rich girl, features this verse of pure nonsense: "Ring a ring of roses, whoever gets the closest, she comes and she goes, as the war of the roses."
Then again, there's something reassuring about these flaws. The appeal of Robbie Williams never lay in perfection, even at his peak. In a way, it's the little mishaps on this generally very good album that make it feel like a genuine comeback.
Nick Levine is a freelance music journalist based in London.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%20profile
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2024%20Dubai%20Marathon%20Results
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The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
What's in the deal?
Agreement aims to boost trade by £25.5bn a year in the long run, compared with a total of £42.6bn in 2024
India will slash levies on medical devices, machinery, cosmetics, soft drinks and lamb.
India will also cut automotive tariffs to 10% under a quota from over 100% currently.
Indian employees in the UK will receive three years exemption from social security payments
India expects 99% of exports to benefit from zero duty, raising opportunities for textiles, marine products, footwear and jewellery
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
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Pad Man
Dir: R Balki
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte
Three-and-a-half stars
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
MATCH INFO
Manchester United v Everton
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester
When: Sunday, kick-off 7pm (UAE)
How to watch: Live on BeIN Sports 11HD
The specs: 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor
Price, base / as tested Dh220,000 / Dh320,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission 10-speed automatic
Power 421hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 678Nm @ 3,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 14.1L / 100km
Charlotte Gainsbourg
Rest
(Because Music)
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Fast%20X
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The team
Photographer: Mateusz Stefanowski at Art Factory
Videographer: Jear Valasquez
Fashion director: Sarah Maisey
Make-up: Gulum Erzincan at Art Factory
Model: Randa at Art Factory Videographer’s assistant: Zanong Magat
Photographer’s assistant: Sophia Shlykova
With thanks to Jubail Mangrove Park, Jubail Island, Abu Dhabi
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Manchester United v Club America
When: Thursday, 9pm Arizona time (Friday UAE, 8am)
The winners
Fiction
- ‘Amreekiya’ by Lena Mahmoud
- ‘As Good As True’ by Cheryl Reid
The Evelyn Shakir Non-Fiction Award
- ‘Syrian and Lebanese Patricios in Sao Paulo’ by Oswaldo Truzzi; translated by Ramon J Stern
- ‘The Sound of Listening’ by Philip Metres
The George Ellenbogen Poetry Award
- ‘Footnotes in the Order of Disappearance’ by Fady Joudah
Children/Young Adult
- ‘I’ve Loved You Since Forever’ by Hoda Kotb
UAE squad
Ali Kashief, Salem Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdelrahman, Mohammed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Mohmmed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammad Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Eisa, Mohammed Shakir, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Adel Al Hosani, Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah), Waleed Abbas, Ismail Al Hammadi, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli Dubai) Habib Fardan, Tariq Ahmed, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Mahrami (Baniyas)
Day 5, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day When Dilruwan Perera dismissed Yasir Shah to end Pakistan’s limp resistance, the Sri Lankans charged around the field with the fevered delirium of a side not used to winning. Trouble was, they had not. The delivery was deemed a no ball. Sri Lanka had a nervy wait, but it was merely a stay of execution for the beleaguered hosts.
Stat of the day – 5 Pakistan have lost all 10 wickets on the fifth day of a Test five times since the start of 2016. It is an alarming departure for a side who had apparently erased regular collapses from their resume. “The only thing I can say, it’s not a mitigating excuse at all, but that’s a young batting line up, obviously trying to find their way,” said Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach.
The verdict Test matches in the UAE are known for speeding up on the last two days, but this was extreme. The first two innings of this Test took 11 sessions to complete. The remaining two were done in less than four. The nature of Pakistan’s capitulation at the end showed just how difficult the transition is going to be in the post Misbah-ul-Haq era.
IF YOU GO
The flights
FlyDubai flies direct from Dubai to Skopje in five hours from Dh1,314 return including taxes. Hourly buses from Skopje to Ohrid take three hours.
The tours
English-speaking guided tours of Ohrid town and the surrounding area are organised by Cultura 365; these cost €90 (Dh386) for a one-day trip including driver and guide and €100 a day (Dh429) for two people.
The hotels
Villa St Sofija in the old town of Ohrid, twin room from $54 (Dh198) a night.
St Naum Monastery, on the lake 30km south of Ohrid town, has updated its pilgrims' quarters into a modern 3-star hotel, with rooms overlooking the monastery courtyard and lake. Double room from $60 (Dh 220) a night.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
How much of your income do you need to save?
The more you save, the sooner you can retire. Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.com, says if you save just 5 per cent of your salary, you can expect to work for another 66 years before you are able to retire without too large a drop in income.
In other words, you will not save enough to retire comfortably. If you save 15 per cent, you can forward to another 43 working years. Up that to 40 per cent of your income, and your remaining working life drops to just 22 years. (see table)
Obviously, this is only a rough guide. How much you save will depend on variables, not least your salary and how much you already have in your pension pot. But it shows what you need to do to achieve financial independence.
Naga
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WORLD CUP SQUAD
Dimuth Karunaratne (Captain), Angelo Mathews, Avishka Fernando, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kusal Perera (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Thisara Perera, Isuru Udana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Jeevan Mendis, Milinda Siriwardana, Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep
MEFCC information
Tickets range from Dh110 for an advance single-day pass to Dh300 for a weekend pass at the door. VIP tickets have sold out. Visit www.mefcc.com to purchase tickets in advance.
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