Rating: NN
Poor, old Mel C: after being unceremoniously dumped by Virgin, Sporty Spice was upstaged by the bratty offspring of her fellow Spice Girls on the London leg of the recent reunion tour.Conveniently, her fourth solo offering gets its North American release post-tour. But even with this PR stunt, her decent voice and some songwriting credits on her side, Miss Chisholm can’t backflip into our consciousness. From the U2-ish album opener Understand to the Chili Peppers-indebted Carolyna, this baker’s dozen of songs are as bland as her forgettable cover shot. There’s not a memorable chorus among them. (A tacky “bonus” track cover of I Want Candy doesn’t count, by the way.)
Still, her decision to plug away at the music – as opposed to, say, embarrass herself on reality TV, start her own clothing line or schmooze with Scientologists in L.A. – is kind of endearing, a bit like her pseudo-feminist decision to be the only Spice Girl who didn’t flash her boobs at every photo shoot.
