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Robbie Williams is a winner all right. And he`s singing his way right up to the top of the music charts.

`Sing When You`re Winning`

After breaking up from the phenomenally successful boy band, `Take That`, its youngest member Robbie Williams embarked on a solo career. Initially it didn`t seem like a particularly good career move. Two albums, `Life through a lens` and ` I`ve been expecting you` tanked. Williams himself battled inner demons until he met Sir Elton John who told him to shape up or ship out. With a new philosophy on life, Williams went ahead with `The Ego Has Landed` which resurrected his career catapulting him to the top of the league. More importantly, he became a major selling act across the Atlantic in America as well.

`Sing When You`re Winning` takes off from where `The Ego has Landed` left off. MTV VJ Carson Daley once described Williams as the best pop star the world has at the moment. He`s probably right. This album tackles a more diverse palette of musical styles; pop, rock, rap and soul. Among the standout tracks are, `Rock DJ`, the song that`s been scandalising television viewers with its saucy, insouciant strip tease.

The lyrics are laced with humour. But it`s humour packaged in different forms the stick- my- tongue- at- you- kind, the self-deprecating kind and the sly kind. There is the rather droll duet sung with Aussie pop star Kylie Minogue in which Williams intones, "single-handedly raising the economy/ain`t no chance the record company dropping me". Another excellent track is `Supreme` in which he slips in sly references to Gloria Gaynor`s anthemic hit, "I will survive." However, in this case, instead of being a song about female emancipation and self-affirmation, this one tells you that you`ll survive despite the fact that, "all the best women are married, all the handsome men are gay". One of the best tracks on the album is the introspective, "Better Man" in which Sir Elton`s voice of wisdom to the young star find articulation. You see, Robbie is "trying to be a better man", so please, "go easy on my conscience".

This album grows on you. The first time you listen to the songs you`re likely to go, "hmm, good but.....". Then somewhere down the line, you find yourself humming the songs everywhere, anywhere, all the time. Truly, insidious music from an in- your- face guy!

Rating: Arrogance has a twin and his name is Robbie Williams. His manic arrogance and cocksure confidence spill over into the music as well. So, what`s not to like? Williams is obviously having a good time making some cool music. Enjoy. Williams has that indefinable quality called, "attitude". The album reeks of it too. Great!