Five became four, then five again, then four again, and now they are three. Take That have weathered numerous storms, splits and fractures over the years, but how will they cope without original member Jason Orange?
Perfectly well, in fact. Although Orange's departure may have caused a headache for the Mancunian man-band's marketing team, it makes little difference to their sound. Their seventh album isn't revolutionary in any way, although there is a marked shift towards EDM-style pop with songs like 'Let the Sun In' and the Mark Owen-led 'Lovelife', the latter surely a future Costa del Sol club highlight.
Of course, it wouldn't be a Take That album without the big emotional ballads: they're here, too, in the form of 'Portrait' and 'Flaws', although both sound more than a little formulaic. In fact, for the most part – tracks like the buzzy robotic pop of 'I Like It' and groovy, glitchy anthem 'Higher Than Higher' – most of III sounds exactly like you might expect it to.
In a way, you can't blame Take That for playing it safe (let's not mention their tax problems, ahem...) – but while III is perfectly listenable, it's not particularly exciting. Robbie Williams recently expressed an interest in returning to the TT fold once more; pack in the X Factor day job, Gaz, and pick up the phone.
