The Spice Girls, as well as their managers and songwriters, are nothing if not clever, and
Spiceworld, the group's second album, illustrates exactly how sharp they are. Conventional wisdom dictates that
Spiceworld should be a weak facsimile of
Spice, which itself featured a handful of great singles surrounded by filler. Conventional wisdom, in this case, is wrong --
Spiceworld is a better record than its predecessor, boasting a more consistent (and catchier) set of songs and an intoxicating sense of fun. Instead of merely rewriting
Spice,
Spiceworld consolidates and expands the group's style, adding Latin flourishes ("Spice Up Your Life"), kitschy blues ("The Lady Is a Vamp"), and stomping, neo-Motown blue-eyed soul in the vein of
Culture Club ("Stop"). The girls --
Mel C. in particular -- are actually turning into good vocalists, and each song plays to their strengths, giving each
Spice a chance to shine. Best of all, each song has a strong melody and a strong, solid beat, whether it's a ballad or a dance number. It's a pure, unadulterated guilty pleasure and some of the best manufactured mainstream dance-pop of the late '90s. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine