Spice Girls

Spice World (Virgin)
by Rowan-Morrison

When I asked to review the Spice Girls, the editor asked if I would need an extra copy to give to the guy holding a gun to my head. Fortunately, it isn’t as bad (or as good) as the two sides might argue. Part of the appeal of the Spice Girls’ first album wasn’t the strength of their music, but the video campaign that supported it. Granted, “Wannabe” is a damn catchy track, even with its blue-collar-level lyric writing, but the other cuts didn’t convey a group effort until the videos illustrated the different players involved. With Spiceworld, video magic is probably going to be the key as well. “Spice Up Your Life,” their currently oversaturated hit, is comparable to “Wannabe” as an infectious pop jam, but the big question is if any of the other tracks merit radio play. “Move Over” is a cut that sounds like it was written for a soft drink commercial, so it has a catchy-meets-corny quality, but that’s part of their image, right? Although the sales of this release haven’t matched their debut, the girls add more experimental spices this time out, as is best exemplified by the ’40’s- styled “The Lady is a Vamp.” It’s scary to actually recommend songs off this album, but the Spanish guitar-driven “Viva Forever” is as good as any other pop ballad torturing the airwaves. The oracles have all predicted the same thing: It’s time for Ace of Base to move over.