The singer lost the faith of many loyal fans by releasing his experimental rap-style album Rudebox in 2006.

It bombed so badly that thousands of copies were melted down to pave roads in the Far East.

But his latest producer TREVOR HORN, the production brains behind FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD’s huge success in the Eighties, said fans are in for a treat.

Speaking at this week’s Ivor Novello Awards in London, he told me: “There will be a few ballads on there, yes.

“The album is still a long way off from being finished but it’s going well.”

I’m glad to hear it.

For all that I’ve given him stick over the years, Robbie is the only male solo star this country has at the moment.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol....ds.html

- One Can Dream (Robbie Williams / Stephen Duffy / Chris Heath, Matt Lucas)

- EWIGKEIT (Robbie Williams / Guy Chambers)

- ZIVOT BEZ LASKY (Robbie Williams / Guy Chambers)

Monday June 22, 2009
By Paul Williams
EMI Music Publishing has turned its focus to signing Robbie Williams after recapturing his long-time songwriting partner Guy Chambers.

Chambers has agreed a long-term administration deal with the publisher, two years after hooking up with B-Unique’s publishing arm when his last agreement with EMI ended.

The new deal covers future compositions as well as his catalogue, including his collaborations with Robbie Williams, whose own publishing is subject to extensive interest after coming on to the market.

EMI Publishing UK president Guy Moot says Chambers has returned “bang on form and doing some of the best stuff of his life”.

“We had a trial separation and we’ve come back together and both sides felt they really missed each other,” says Moot, whose company originally published Chambers’ songs from 2000 to 2007.

Now, he concedes he wants to reunite – at his company, at least – Chambers and Williams, whose own publishing is currently available with his last deal at Universal Music Publishing (formerly BMG Music Publishing) having concluded. “Of course we are [interested],” says Moot, whose company is part of a fierce battle to win Williams’ catalogue and future compositions. “I don’t want to be greedy but I want both [Williams and Chambers]. They’re incredible songwriters.”

This latest deal with Chambers has happened in partnership with US-based publishing company Liberal Arts, which was formed by David Massey and is run by Ben Tischker. It was Liberal Arts which took on Chambers’ publishing for the world ex-Europe when he signed a European deal with B-Unique’s publishing division in 2007.

Explaining EMI’s “trial separ-ation” with Chambers, Moot notes, “He tried another route. He wanted to try an independent company in the UK. He has a very good relationship with David Massey and Liberal Arts and this new deal ticks all the boxes. He gets Liberal Arts in America and gets our company in America and the full team here.

“The timing is right. There is going to be much more of a demand for songwriters. The way things are going the market is more song-based and we’re coming out of a band phase.”

Chambers says it feels good to be back at EMI. “I’m in the business of writing hits and I’m excited about the opportunities that this new publishing deal will open up for me to help me get even more of them,” he notes.

His current projects are heavily concentrated on new artist projects and include him writing with Atlantic Records signing Paloma, Mercury’s Tiffany Paige and Razor and Tie’s Kelly Sweet. “He enjoys being challenged and stretched by new young artists,” says his brother and manager Dylan Chambers. “He doesn’t want to do the predictable, working with the usual A-list writers.”

However, he has reunited with Robbie Williams, having last written with him for the 2002 album Escapology.

Williams’ co-manager Tim Clark told Music Week in January “there may be” a song with Chambers on the singer’s forthcoming album. This, Dylan Chambers reveals, was written last July, but it is too early to say whether it will end up on the new album. “It was a great experience,” he says of the songwriting reunion, adding the pair are on “very friendly terms and all the animosities are in the past”.

Moot describes the new Williams songs he has heard so far in demo form as “amazing”.

“I’m just blown away with the songs,” he says. “I know he’s been through a lot but he’s come back and written about his journey and nobody writes lyrics and metaphors like Robbie Williams,” says Moot.

EMI Publishing did very briefly have both Williams and Chambers on its roster having poached Chambers in 2000 from BMG. However, BMG exacted revenge on EMI shortly afterwards by prising Williams away from EMI.
http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=1037996&c=1