Before Simon Fuller struck paydirt with "American Idol," he used a similar cattle-call method to manufacture the Spice Girls: Ginger (Geri Halliwell), Posh (Victoria Beckham), Baby (Emma Bunton), Scary (Melanie Brown) and Sporty (Melanie Chisholm). After one year, a movie (SpiceWorld) and two albums that collectively sold 38 million, Fuller and girlpower leader Halliwell jumped ship. It's been three years since the rest of the group disbanded, but what's happened since then is the fascinating part: four have been dropped from their label; two reportedly chose breast augmentation; two talked candidly about their same-sex flings; three published autobiographies and each has charted.
And now, with less musical creativity than Madonna displayed on her last album, the Spice Girls are staging a comeback--of sorts.
The predominant presence on their breakthrough, Spice, Halliwell represented the group in its neo-proto-"wannabe"-feminist sound that she carried to her solo efforts. The predicted "successful spice," she released two albums to mixed reception. Her debut single, "Look At Me," barely penetrated American radio; here, she's known for hooking-up (Fred Durst, Eminem), rather than for singing. Indeed, without the aid of backup singers, her strident vocals became the song's centerpiece and its death knell. It doesn't help that--with little abandon--she skids through neo-disco, balladry and electronica. The worst comes when this Brit goes Latin and croons, "¿Dónde está mi chico latino?"
Melanie Brown fared even worse on her debut, Hot, where she pushed the Spice sound into tired R&B territory with a noticeable edge. Lyrics like "Think you'll find your destiny?/ A shallow grave is all you'll see," remind listeners why she was the scary one. And while she can carry a tune, her beats lack. Her only hit, "I Want You Back," is perhaps the worst track Missy Elliott has ever guested on. Brown's performances as a man-eating nurse on the Brit TV series, "Burn It," an animal rights guerrilla in the film, Lethal Dose and a castmember in the English run of the Vagina Monologues were somewhat better received.
Spice with talent sums up the other Melanie, "Sporty." With a U.S. dance-pop following and three million sold of her debut, Northern Star, Chisholm's the most successful thus far. A fellow genre-hopper, some of her catalogue is downright revolutionary ("Goin' Down") and some is same-old-same-old ("Melt"), as was last year's sophomore set, Reason.
On the other hand, Emma Bunton, the least visible Spice, has stuck closest to the Girls' sound. A lush melodic sensibility combined with expressive yet measured vocals has pushed several consecutive singles into the charts, including the on-a-cloud "Free Me" and the kitschy "Maybe." With her sophomore album set to hit stores Feb. 7, her breakthrough may be at hand.
Represented once again by Fuller, Bunton and Beckham have their sights set on the American market. Beckham, however, with her über-famous hubby, a spot singing alongside Elton John on the Fuller-produced international special "World Idol" and a producer who's also the founder of a $300 million rap music empire, namely Damon Dash, has the advantage. A new double-sided single containing two flawless pop gems that was the highest chart-placer by a Spice since May 2001 and a $2 million stateside contract from Roc-A-Fella mean that Posh is poised to achieve success in the U.S. once again.
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