Amazon.co.uk Review
The year 2000 saw the return of the Spice Girls as an entity after a wealth of solo projects, weddings, babies and tabloid headlines. It was inevitable that a couple of years down the line from their previous outing,
Spiceworld, things were going to have changed--the girls had grown up from the day-glo, big-shoed, larger-than-life cartoon characters that they'd started out as.
Forever, therefore, is the sound of the new Spice Girls, slick R&B ("Holler", "Right Back At Ya") created by star producer Rodney Jerkins (
TLC,
Destiny's Child,
Janet Jackson), alongside instantly recognisable Spice ballads ("Goodbye", "Let Love Lead The Way"). Slick as it may be, the overwhelming impression is that Spice Girls have lost their magic sparkle--there are no ebullient calls-to-arms like "Spice Up You Life" or "Wannabe", instead it's vocoders and shuffling beats all the way. Melanie C seems to be the most out of her depth in this new environment, with her strident tones (though well-suited to the full-on pop she successfully purveys as a solo artist) sounding completely out of place amongst the soft harmonies. All the things that made the Spice Girls great are gone--the in-your-face attitude, the brash anthems, the ridiculous outfits and the total all-round pop sensibility. Everyone has to grow up eventually, but it's always sad when they forget how to have fun. --
Helen Marquis