In this series, I'll be going op-ed on anyone that bothers to read this about an album that's good but probably not "Good Enough" to be considered Album of the Year at either the Grammy Awards, American music publications or even online communities that wouldn't give a shit about them (Mind you these communities will insist on the same three failed acts as being the saviors of pop music when they can barely go triple bus pass in terms of first week sales.)
This entry is dedicated to the eighth album from former Spice Girl and UK superstar Melanie C [the album name is her stage name, werk efficiency].
What was it about this album in particular that had the international gay fanbase go wild with fervor over a Mel C album era? Once you know the songs, you'll know.
On most streaming sites, Melanie C's album appears as the 10 track original:
1. "Who I Am"
2. "Blame It on Me"
3. "Good Enough"
4. "Escape"
5. "Overload"
6. "Fearless" (featuring Nadia Rose)
7. "Here I Am"
8. "Nowhere to Run"
9. "In and Out of Love"
10. "End of Everything"
A separate second physical disc has three bonus tracks and three remixes [only the three remixes can also be found on streaming sites with two other remixes that didn't make the album proper]:
1. "Self Love"
2. "Into You"
3. "Touch Me" [a cover of the 2001 Rui da Silva and Cassandra song of the same name, which holds the distinction as the first progressive house song to reach #1 in the UK]
4. "Who I Am" (Joe Goddard remix)
5. "Blame It on Me" (PBH & Jack remix)
6. "High Heels" (featuring Sink the Pink) (Moto Blanco remix)
Six songs were released in some capacity from the album, with four being considered singles and two of them being a non-album single and a promotional single. "High Heels" was first released in 2019 but eventually got non-album single status as the remix on Disc 2.
"Who I Am" ended up the lead single and even had the Joe Goddard remix reach #4 on the UK Commercial Pop Club charts in its 5th and last week on that chart [after reaching the Top 10 in its 4th week].
"Blame It On Me" was the third collective song and second single released, with the PBH & Jack remix reaching a higher peak albeit with one less week on the UK Commercial Pop Club charts, at #2 in its 4th and final week, having reached the Top 10 in its 2nd week [ultimately being held off from #1 by "Feel Right Now" by Parx and Nonô]. "In And Out of Love" was the fourth song and third single released from the album, which was noted for its surprisingly contemporary sound [some even drawing comparisons production wise to Dua Lipa's sophomore effort, Future Nostalgia.] Although not featured on the album proper, the Nick Reach Up remix was made available on streaming sites shortly after release.
The last single of the era was "Fearless", a collaborative effort featuring the relatively new UK singer Nadia Rose. The song was considered bold for the former Spice Girl and earned positive reviews in return. The last song released and second promotional/buzz single was "Overload", which like "In And Out of Love" doesn't have its remix on the album proper but does have its Karim Naas remix available on streaming sites shortly after its release. "Overload" was seen with slightly less but still noticeable praise for the consistent musical style the album's other offerings had made.
The album itself peaked and debuted at #8, becoming Melanie C's third Top 10 album in the UK and marked her first Top 10 album in 17(!) years since her 2003 sophomore effort Reason. ("Umm, what does a UK album have to do with the US?" I'M GETTING THERE.)
What made Melanie C a pick for album of the year in my eyes, let alone resonate with fans on internet forums and social media alike? In complete honesty, the singles run was flawless and the album itself is Melanie C's most cohesive and enjoyable. There's a simplicity to the album that can't be overlooked and it helps that the artist behind the album was a veteran of pop music who had a renewed spirit and sounded better than ever (There's a certain album in this series that can also fit under this description, so look out for that one). However, there's a case of "for better and worse" that has never escaped Melanie C and that is the fact that even in eight albums, there's a signature vocal and head scratching lyrical content.
For context, Mel C was always considered the best vocalist in the Spice Girls and of the solo albums, had the most promising career ahead of her [which having made it to eight albums later, despite six of them being independent, did prove that to be true]. Eight albums later, she sounds the same in terms of being a capable vocalist but still possessing the weirdest timbre in pop music. Meaning, despite having the largest vocal range and ability of her groupmates, whenever Mel C has to hit certain high notes, whatever her timbre does sounds slightly strained [it could be a larynx issue, it could be her northern UK accent, no one knows for sure but eight albums later means you stopped wondering why and accepted it.]
There are two tracks in particular on this release that drive the point home. On "Who I Am", towards the climax of the song when she sings "I'm ready to drop my armour/it will make me stronger", she sounds just this side of sharp or weirdly straining to a lot of casual listens. On the cover of "Touch Me", towards the climax of that song when she sings "I'll take your love and I'll take my chances/I'll take them with you" or even the hook "Touch Me in the morning/and last thing at night/keep my body warm, baby/you know it feels right", she has the same issue of sounding this side of sharp or if her vocals prove an acquired taste for casual listeners, "strained".
However, in eight albums there are still moments of lyrical simplicity or in the case of "High Heels", a case of "wait what, play that back" comes up that hasn't really been seen since "If That Were Me", the last single from her debut album Northern Star.
"I couldn't live without my phone/but you don't even have a home" - 1999 turned November of 2000 when the song was released. In 2019, "High Heels" had these lyrics: "It's been five weeks since I started saving for my new shoes/they're coming out of the box tonight, they're gonna wow you". This proved that for all the strides made in her career, Mel C still had lyrical hiccups which admittedly no one cared about at large because not only was "High Heels" a glorious dance-pop song (And believe me when I tell you, the only thing worse to forums and online music communities than bad lyrics are bad lyrics in slow songs or ballads.)
What makes the album something worth revisiting over and over again is that like her idol Madonna on 2019's Madame X, Melanie C wanted to release music because she was legitimately inspired, no one expected it but the public was behind her when it came time to listen to the music. Not since her debut has Melanie C been so revered in terms of singles choice, album cohesion and especially music videos.
In short, she said that's "Who I Am" and anybody that listened ate it up.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: "Who I Am", "In And Out of Love", "Touch Me" (which honestly sounds like if there was a reboot of the show Queer as Folk, this song is on it and I mean that as a compliment), "Blame It On Me" and "End of Everything" because it's a great closer to the album proper.
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