The Germans may be a buying superforce in the world market (third biggest after US and Japan), yet their tastes, often leave a lot to be desired. So, the words ‘German rock outfit’ might strike fear into the hearts of the listening public – add insult to injury, the band have been ‘handpicked’ by Robbie Williams to support him on his forthcoming tour. Never a good sign.
On the whole, Beautiful Sky is a quite pleasant if slightly pedestrian album. It’s easy to see why Robbie is enamoured – the sound is incredibly similar to his own. Vocals are underwhelmingly bland, and the songwriting seems a tad mechanical, yet clearly they are attempting to think outside the box – ‘Star’ opens with a promising and very vital-sounding orchestral interlude (which sadly gives way to the dreary pop balladry), and ‘Intro’ keeps the listener guessing with a minute-long minimalist techno intro, before the tawdry low-cal indie kicks in.
With Robbie in their corner, it may well be that Reamonn are destined for great things, or at least a slot or two on CD:UK. While Busted fans may marvel at the ‘innovative’ rock sounds on the album, the more discerning listener may well see through the production gimmicks and feel slightly shortchanged after the experience.