[8] After trying hard to find his own sound during a period of personal upheaval, Williams began recordings for the album at London's Maison Rouge studios in March 1997, shortly after his introduction to Guy Chambers.

John Bush of AllMusic said that Life thru a Lens "continually betrays overt influences from Oasis and other Britpop stars, but triumphs nevertheless due to gorgeous production, Williams' irresistible personality, and the overall flavor of outrageous, utterly enjoyable pop music.

"[1] Writing for Melody Maker in October 1997, Robin Bresnark gave Life thru a Lens a negative review; "There's nothing here... sure, Robbie Williams is as fascinating a hapless goon as we're ever likely to come across.

[3] Martin C. Strong, writing in The Great Rock Discography, reflected that the general critical consensus on Life Thru a Lens was "that Williams was having the last laugh, beating his former Take That cronies hands down (both Gary Barlow and Mark Owen were taking the solo road with middling success) and winning over a cross section of musical palates with his irrepressible style.

Commenting on the album's music and it topping the UK charts 28 weeks after its initial release, Larkin wrote: "Never before had so many pundits and critics been proved so wrong.

"[17] Rough Guides contributor Jane Holly writes that Life Thru a Lens shows "a wide mix of styles" from ballads to rockers.

[19] It reached the number one position after spending 27 weeks on the chart, as a consequence of the huge success of the "Angels" single, boosting the album's sales to 300,000.