Spice Girls’ Second Lacks Zest Of First Release
Spice Girls
“Spiceworld” (Virgin) *-1/2
If you’re gonna call yourselves Spice Girls and conquer the pop world with your outrageous antics and messages of “girl power” and “positivity,” then you ought to muster a bit more zest for your second release than Baby, Ginger, Scary, Sporty and Posh have done here.
What little vocal sass there was in “Spice,” the English group’s multimillion-selling debut, is replaced by bland, half-hearted harmonizing - but then any attitude they might have conveyed is over-processed into oblivion. These 10 simple-minded dance anthems and lite ballads are so slickly produced that most techno-pop sounds positively organic by comparison.
Tracks such as the Caribbean-flavored “Spice Up Your Life” pump out the energy of an aerobics workout, but bear no trace of passion. The Spices can’t even deliver lines such as “Come on freak and lose control” with the oomph of a high school pep squad.
They do show more sincerity in the unself-conscious way they recycle hooks, borrowing blithely from the better formulas of ‘60s girl groups (“Stop”), the Jackson 5 (“Do It”), and Madonna (the ridiculous “Viva Forever”). And so it goes that the most engaging number, “Move Over,” cops Pepsi’s “Generation Next” slogan for its rousing refrain.
- Natalie Nichols
Barbra Streisand
“Higher Ground” (Columbia)***-1/2
It’s been nearly four years since Streisand’s celebrated return to live performances in Las Vegas, but in the best moments of this studio collection there is a reminder of the intimacy and character that made those shows so memorable.
Rather than a greatest-hits survey, she chose songs for that North American tour that told her story, and she sang them with a warmth and restraint that had frequently eluded her over the years on record. That same personal, passionate edge fills this album.
The songs on “Higher Ground” speak of love and faith on a variety of levels, from spiritual to personal. The uplifting theme was inspired by the example of President Clinton’s mother, the late Virginia Clinton Kelley, to whom the album is dedicated.
“If I Could” expresses a mother’s love, while “Leading With Your Heart” conveys a woman’s romantic awakening. There’s also a pair of nicely designed medleys, one mixing familiar pop tunes (“I Believe” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone”), the other traditional ones (“The Water Is Wide” and “Deep River”).
Not all the songs, however, shine. While they may express Streisand’s precise feelings, some - including “Tell Me,” featuring a duet with Celine Dion - lack originality and grace. Still, the heart of the album showcases the kind of higher aspirations that are all too rare in mainstream pop.
- Robert Hilburn