Well, since the Spice Girls have pursued their solo careers, it seems pretty obvious that Melanie 'Sporty Spice' Chisholm is the most talented of the four. This album showcases this talent, while still omitting her duet with Bryan Adams and the excellent B-side from the Never Be The Same Again single.
The fourteen tracks on this album Northern Star vary from sweet ballads to shouting rock anthems, all of which are of a consistently high standard. Mel has co-written every one of the tracks too.
Go ! is the first track, which begins the album energetically, with a fast-paced rock song. This is a good listen, though not her best. 7/10
The title track is next - Northern Star. This is beautiful, with intelligent lyrics and a chance for Mel to show the versatility in her voice. The gentle verses and strong chorus contrast well. You will find yourself humming this one after a few plays. 8/10
This
is followed by Goin' Down, which has a much harder feel to it than the previous track. It features a lot of digitally enhanced vocals, which I am not really a fan of. This song grows on you though and is in no way a bad track, just not a favourite. 6/10
I Turn To You is the fourth track, with the Hex Hector Radio Mix version as track fourteen. This is an excellent song, very catchy and poppy, but also sounding quite fresh. 9/10
This is followed by her latest single If That Were Me. This is another beautiful song, dealing with the problems of poverty and homelessness in a very effective way - not preaching or being patronising, but extremely effective. 10/10
Never Be The Same Again is the sixth track, with the Single Mix as track thirteen. I have liked all her solo singles, but this is my favourite, and it was also my favourite single for the whole of last year.
This is her duet with Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopez and is a mixture of styles, being quite a mellow tune with meaningful lyrics, with a centrepiece of Lisa's rapping. Very effective, very memorable and something a bit different from the usual chart hits. It was great to see this at Number One. 10/10
Why is the title of track seven. This begins with quite a slow instrumental section, which sounds rather moody and atmospheric. Mel's vocals are rather softer on this one, and although it is a pleasant enough tune, it just doesn't affect me in the way so many of her songs do. 6/10
This is followed by Suddenly Monday, which has a different style again, being quite jazzy and very catchy. This has a strong piano beat behind it, with the drums coming in hard when the vocals become more intense. Another example of Mel's versatility. This would be a good one to release as a single. 8/10
Next is Ga Ga and back to the rockier songs. The title and some of the lyrics seem rather juvenile for a Mel C song. Not too keen on this one. 5/10
Be The One is the tenth track. Again, it is completely different from the previous one, beginning with simple guitar, soon joined by Mel's vocals. This one has rather a folk quality about it and is pleasant to listen to, but not earth shattering. 7/10
Closer is next, being one of the longer tracks on the album at 5 minutes 41 seconds. It is another of her gentler songs, with simple lyrics, but it is still pretty and nice to listen to. Nothing special though. 6/10
Feel The Sun is the last track before the remixes. This begins with her vocals almost drowning out a single beat in the background, before other instruments join in, so it feels quite layered. There are some beautiful musical bits in this track, which complement her voice. This track is quite mystical, almost hypnotic and again, very different to all the other songs on the album. 7/10
The cover is very atmospheric, Mel sat on a rock with an orange background. The inlay booklet contains some more moody pictures of Mel plus the words of the songs, but they are written in a way which makes them hard to read. This is a shame, as the lyrics of her songs are generally very good and worth reading.
I would definitely recommend this album. If you like her singles, you will love this. If you are sceptical of her talent, this should prove she has an abundance of it.
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Advantages: There's a song for everyone, some nice songs Disadvantages: It doesn't catering for one audience and there are some weaker songs on the album
galaxynicole 04.08.2005 (04.08.2005)
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Review of NorthernStar - MelanieC
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Nov 4th, 2000
(Jan 16th, 2001)
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