Take That – The Circus (2008)

01 The garden 
02 Greatest day 
03 Hello 
04 Said it all 
05 Julie 
06 The circus 
07 How did it come to this 
08 Up all night 
09 What is love 
10 You 
11 Hold up a light

John Barclay 	Trumpet
Gary Barlow 	Keyboards, Piano, Vocals
Howard Donald 	Vocals
London Studio Orchestra 	Brass, Ensemble, Strings
Wil Malone 	Brass Arrangement, Brass Conductor, String Arrangements, String Conductor
Ben Mark 	Guitar (Electric)
Perry Mason 	Orchestra Director, Orchestra Leader
Mark Nightingale 	Trombone (Tenor)
Jamie Norton 	Piano
Jason Orange 	Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals
Mark Owen 	Vocals
Jeff Rothschild 	Drums
John Shanks 	 Bass, Guitar, Keyboards, Producer
Philip Sheppard 	Cello
Owen Slade 	Tuba
Matthew Ward 	Violin
Derek Watkins 	Trumpet
Andy Wood 	Trombone 

A Take That reunion was perhaps as inevitable as the fact that Robbie Williams would decide to opt out of the proceedings. He inexplicably became the biggest star out of the franchise, in no way needing the support group the rest craved after their solo projects imploded. And there is something to be said for brand names: even if it didn’t jump-start the phenomenon, the 2006 reunion Beautiful World returned Take That to the upper reaches of the charts, and their 2008 follow-up, The Circus, builds upon its template, offering more of the same without quite seeming like pandering. Fittingly for a foursome facing 40, dance-pop has been banished in favor of well-manicured maturity, culled chiefly from Coldplay, whose tasteful, chilly surfaces blend easily with Gary Barlow’s Elton John and George Michael aspirations. Barlow is also responsible for the gentle Sgt. Pepper's pastiche of the title track, but the one responsible for giving The Circus a bit of a beat is Mark Owen, whose contributions, particularly the cheerfully respectful stomp “Up All Night,” are a welcome respite from the album’s steady, stately march. A little of this Coldplay influence goes a long way -- craftsman that he is, Barlow can mimic this sound as expertly as he mimicked Michael years ago, but these skyscraping sonics aren’t particularly suited for his brand of commercialism, so it’s fortunate that Owen is here to give this a bit of a pulse, with Howard Donald and Jason Orange acting as the bridge between them both. Without those mitigating factors, The Circus would be too coldly calculating -- but this is no longer Barlow’s show, it’s the work of a group where the sum is greater than the parts, and Take That have wound up with an adult pop album that isn’t compelling, but is somewhat comforting. ---Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic Review

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