The Collegio Pittsburg's student voice since 1916
Related Articles
Melanie C, formerly known as Sporty Spice during her tenure in the Spice Girls, has released an album that blends electronica with pop sound.
The eponymous album, released by label Red Girl Media, is the English singer-songwriter’s eighth studio album and features 10 tracks, all approximately three minutes long. The album’s overall style uses disco and electronica tropes from the 1970s and 1980s. The album was inspired by the 2019 reunion tour of her former group The Spice Girls and is approximately 35 minutes long.
The album is a feel-good album. Every track certainly feels like it belongs to be blasted in the club, and that’s not to say that’s really a good thing or a bad thing. Melanie C is an incredibly mature artist, and this fact shines through on the album even in the guise of seemingly simple songs.
Musically, the album takes many features of disco, dance, house, electronica and pop styles. In every song, Melanie C utilizes a unique reverb effect to give the concert experience in a studio recording. She also utilizes heavy synthesizers to create a feeling like we’re back in the 80s. In terms of stylistic inspiration, she is very inspired by big name artists like Cher and Daftpunk. Like Cher, she can sing particularly low without sounding too intimate and speechy, but this doesn’t hinder her vocals in a higher register by any means. Another factor relating her to Cher is the backing tracks. Cher was a popular favorite in dance clubs and she emulates this experience through very specific chordal piano sounds that have a weight to them, working against the constant digital drumbeat.
In terms of overall themes, the album has a heavy air of empowerment. While this is Melanie C’s eighth studio album, that isn’t to say that she doesn’t still live with her days in the Spice Girls. This album, like most self-titled albums, can have an underlying, more intimate meaning. It’s clear that she doesn’t want to leave the days of the Spice Girls behind but cherish them and bring them along with her on her musical journey. The tracks reflect this with clear messages about not letting others make you feel lesser and to live fearlessly. Even in the more intense tracks on the album, Melanie C has a certain magnetic gravity about her voice that pulls you in even if you’re just using her album as background music.
The Spice Girls had a six-year run and after 2000, they split to pursue better career aspects. At the height of their fame, they had sold 85 million albums and they marketed themselves as a fashion-forward group, influencing multiple aspects of pop culture. All of the Spice Girls, with the exception of Victoria Beckham, went on to pursue solo careers in music but Melanie C is the only one who is still making music.
Ultimately, Melanie C’s album is one that we should all listen to, to remember a time in music but also look forward to the future of music. “Melanie C” receives a B-plus rating.