Cast your mind back to the release of “Never Be The Same Again” (1999), which seemed to come out of nowhere and turned Sporty Spice’s image on its head. For the least pushy of the fabulous five, it was something of a turn up for the books. And now, at the ripe old age of 52 (whipper-snapper), she’s pulled off what could be considered another volte face.
Ask me to name the female artist with the most songs at number 1 in the UK chart’s history and I wouldn’t have plumped for Ms Melanie. But that’s what the blurb claims, alongside this mega fact: “she is he only female performer to top the charts solo, as part of a duo, quartet and quintet.” Blimey. The accompanying press release also mentions that, before the Spice Girls, she was in a ‘group’ (The Fucking Yeah Four) larging it up on the Costa Brava. Once a raver, always a raver.
It’s with this attitude, and a love of working out, that Melanie has created Sweat, her aim to create “a joyful record at a dark time". And, in that, she has succeeded with flair .The title track, “Sweat”, is a full-force banger for the gym bunnies, sampling Diana Ross’ 1981 “Work That Body”. It’s catchy in a refreshing, uncomplicated way. Proper pop music. Similarly “Drum Machine” harks back to happier days when hedonism was the priority – it’s a summer anthem. And there’s a lot more of this sort of well-written, polished-production – “What Could Possibly Go Wrong?”, “Pressure”, “Attitude”, “Free to Love” to name a few. Any one of them could be a single.
Her voice can be strident on occasion, but through this, her ninth studio album, she’s low-key, allowing the music to make as much of an impression as her vocal. “Cashmere” stands out as a more gentle take, with an infuriatingly catchy chorus and rumba rhythm. “Undefeated Champion” is a statement of intent: “after all the bullshit I’ve been through”. It’s not hard to imagine this becoming a karaoke classic. The last song of this 13-tracker, “Flick of the Wrist”, is a suitably strong finale for this pop and house-tinged grooviness, which clearly stems from her burgeoning DJ career. This album could actually spice up your life if you’re after non-challenging but highly uplifting dance fare.
