Robbie Williams

Capitol

Ever wonder what’s going to happen when the Backstreet Boys grow up? Me neither. But if I did, I’d have to look no further than Britpop sensation Robbie Williams to get a glimpse of the future. Robbie is huge on the other side of the pond, having parlayed seven No. 1 U.K. hits with late ’90s boy band Take That into a successful solo career. The ego landed on these shores just as the “Millennium” was turning, and seemed to be off to a flying start with the hit single of the same name. But with the release of his second stateside CD, Sing When You’re Winning, the inevitable question must be asked: Is it the music or the marketing? Oh, Robbie’s got chops, but the packaging—which features Robbie playing all the members of a victorious soccer team—is far more interesting than the content. Hey, is that Robbie’s scrotum in the whirlpool scene? Indeed it is. I have seen the future, and it is Nick Carter’s penis.