Mel C Wants Candy

[Simon R]

Nobody's favourite solo Spice is set to release a version of "I Want Candy" from the soundtrack of a new British film of the same name and starring Mackenzie Crook and Carmen Electra.

The song is coming out in the UK in March while Germany is getting a new ballad called "The Moment You Believe" at more or less the same time. Presumably this is the first offerings from her fourth solo album.

I'm glad she's not given up on the UK although I'm not a fan of the song or covers in general. I've not heard it yet but I can't imagine it'll be a big hit but it's worth a try.

[WhiteCrow]

Nobody's favourite solo Spice is set to release a version of "I Want Candy" from the soundtrack of a new British film of the same name and starring Mackenzie Crook and Carmen Electra.

The song is coming out in the UK in March while Germany is getting a new ballad called "The Moment You Believe" at more or less the same time. Presumably this is the first offerings from her fourth solo album.

I'm glad she's not given up on the UK although I'm not a fan of the song or covers in general. I've not heard it yet but I can't imagine it'll be a big hit but it's worth a try.

Personally I like Mel C the best, probably the Spice Girl with the most credible post-Spice music career, she's quite daring, and I like the whole soft rock thing she does so well ...

Plus I think she's rather sexy!

[Dave Tudor]

I agree with The Crowman.

Though personally, I don't think she's ever topped that one she did with Bryan Adams... save, perhaps, for 'I Turn Toy You'... maybe...

[Rob McCow]

Go Chisholm! Or whatever the 'C' stands for.

None of the Spice Girls are really making it these days. I guess their time is long since past. I would have thought that at least one of them would still be popular/cool, but sadly it seems not.

[Simon R]

Bunton's last single got to number 3. That was a charity single though. She's got another one out next month which is quite low key and brave as a single so it'll be interesting to see how that does.

I think that picture of Chis was taken at a gig we were at in 2003. I'm pretty sure she was wearing that top as we were quite suprised how big her boobies looked in it.

[Matthew T]

Weren't the last 2 versions of this song by Candy Girls and Aaron Carter? That does not bode well.

[Si Hunt]

No Aaron Bashing you!

Si.

[Simon R]

You can hear a clip of her wares on http://www.melaniec.net/ on the audio/video section.

"I Want Fanny" is pleasantly poppy and the ballad is as you'd expect if you'd heard the Euro-smash that was "First Day Of My Life".

[Si Hunt]

The ballad is a blant crib from "First Day Of My Life" and hurrah for that. But only Europe gets it again! Why do we get lumbered with the crap cover version!

Si.

[Matthew T]

Let the chains of Fenric shatter.

[Si Hunt]

She looks like she's about to waggle a finger and say "Spice Reunion? Mwahahahahaha!"

Si.

[buglass]

Hello.



But don't you want to end world famine?

Or save the endangered Alaskan salmon?

[Dave Tudor]

Yum.

[P-Bal]

We don't want candy.

We want a bloody reunion!

[Simon R]

Chisholm doing dancey pop with a jaunty routine is another step closer to a Spice reunion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZN1ZIHaSEQ

[P-Bal]

I bet she stank after a day on set.

It has the definate air of Dame Rachel Lauren Stevens's number ten global in the UK smash hit So Good video.

And popcorn.

Make her do the Spice Up Your Life routine.

[Pip Madeley]

She really doesn't suit the catsuit.

But not a bad version though, the horns are interesting.

[P-Bal]

I think she looks pretty hot in the video.

Someone must want to fertilise her now!

[Pip Madeley]

I wouldn't give her my candy.

She sounded good during the Intros round on Buzzcocks the other night, she's got a pleasant vocal.

[P-Bal]

Mel's on the Orange Playlist show thing tonight. Highlighted quote:

"Geri released an album, which didn't do well at all, as did Mel B. And so you just get tarred with the same brush and then you become a bit of a failure as well But I have made the best records. And I'm not joking when I say that."

Does she always have to try so hard to be unlikeable?

Know your bloody audience woman!

[Matthew T]

She's looking at a top 25 smash with this. At least it won't be her lowest charting single!

Victoria is the only one with a 100% top 10 strike rate now isn't she?!

[Si Hunt]

To be fair, Chis didn't have a 100% strike rate before this single either. I think Top 25 would be great, all things considered - she's an act 10 years into her career, on a self-owned label budget with a "pro Spice reunion" backlash to contend with. Top 30 would be very respectable, IMO.

Si.

[P-Bal]

I wanna stick pins in the miserable little toad.

Popjustice, although not the last bastion of all things great, have been unkind to her today.

She invites it!

[Si Hunt]

We've heard the album, and here's my thoughts song by song, after one listen:

Understand - We feared this was going to be a ballad, but it's quite uptempo. A good start, although it sort of gets to 80% of where it should be and then goes no further. I enjoyed it though. 8/10

What If I Stay - A lovely little ballad, starting off sounding a bit like "Everybody's Talkin'". Only complaint is that it's on the wrong place on the album - we needed at least a few fast tracks at the start. 7/10

Protected - After two good tracks, I didn't like this at all. Very wishy washy and plodding - it reminded me of "Here It Comes Again". Dissapointing, given it has a Cathy Dennis writing credit. 3/10

This Time - I remember a decent hook in the chorus, and it being instantly singable. Still mid-tempo, but not plodding at least. One for the future 7/10

Carolyna - One of my favourite tracks, with a great chorus. I liked this one. 8/10

Forever Again - Not bad, but I don't remember too much about it. 6/10

Your Mistake - Another highlight, this reminded me of "Since You've Been Gone" by Kelly Clarkson. A bit of an anthem. 8/10

The Moment You Believe - We all know this one already of course - it's a surefire hit, even if it's stitched from the ripped tapestry of at least three other songs. 8.5/10

Don't Let Me Go - This was the duet wasn't it? Adam Argyle's voice is unremarkable (and a little lost in the mix) but it's an above average song... just. It's no huge hit though. 6/10

Immune - It was ok, a bit by numbers 5/10

May Your Heart - I was flagging by this stage, so probably shouldn't really comment but I remember it being a middling to good track 6/10

Out of Time - A bit of an unexpected finish, and one I'm looking forward to re-listening to. It started off a bit ballady, then gets really rocky. This was an interesting curve-ball for the album, something it needed more of. 7/10

I Want Candy - It's odd that this was a bonus track - while I can understand how she might not think it fits in with the rest of the album, it could have provided a welcome change of pace around track 3-4. I quite like this song, even if it's nothing world-changing 7/10

Overall, I feel this album showed promise. It certainly made a better first impression on me than "Beautiful Intentions" (though that record has grown on me a lot) thought I can see why people are cheekily calling it "Reason II". It's very mid-paced a lot of the time, and while one can see why she says it shows her "softer side" after its bitter predecessor, I can't help but wish she'd just made two albums with a mixture of the two extremes on both. Certainly, all the bitterness from BI is now gone, which at worst leaves this nudging itself towards soft rock.

However, if it never rises into being truly special, adventurous or innovative (it's very definately a collection of efforts, rather than a unified creation) it does bolster her catalogue with at least five further worthy compositions - and "Carolyna", "What If I Stay", "Your Mistake" and "The Moment You Believe" look like being future Chis classics.

So not a disaster then, but not up to the levels of "Northern Star" or (with hindsight of course!) the best bits of "Beautiful Intentions" either. It won't be a hit here, but hopefully will go down well in Europe again.

Si.

[P-Bal]

I fell asleep, but I was very tired at the time.

It's as you'd expect I guess, although I too was let down by the Cathy Dennis cast-off. I suspect Guy dug it out of an old filing cabinet somewhere.

DO THE REUNION!