Mel C. tries to spice up Toronto

Sporty Spice tries to shed pop-skin

TORONTO -- What better way to wrap up two days of promotional work than with a concert?

That was precisely how Melanie Chisholm aka Sporty Spice aka Indie Spice topped off her recent promotional visit to Toronto.

Plugging her forthcoming Virgin album, Northern Star, Chisholm (monikered on posters as Melanie C) proceeded to rock the night away at The Guvernment and lay to rest most comparisons to her other band, the Spice Girls.

During the show, which lasted just over an hour, Mel - kitted out in a red Canada t-shirt and jeans - managed to rock, writhe and jump through most of her debut album, as well as a couple of non-album tracks, most notably 'Forever Baby' co-written with Bryan Adams.

Long regarded as the Spice Girl that could sing, Mel and her backup singers wove a tight, vocally harmonic set, which showcased the depth and range of her sometimes shrill voice.

The night kicked off with a rousing version of a track called 'Independence Day'. All guitars and keyboards, Mel C. and band came across for most of the show as a mix between Billy Idol and Republica.

Obviously the evening's highlight for Sporty was performing the current rocky single 'Goin' Down'. With the album's release some 22 days away, she ironically introduced the single by telling the audience "You may know this one."

During the song, Mel leaped around like a person possessed, while the band played on with smoke and lights swirling around them. Not content with the rock version, the night ended with an acoustic version of the single, complete with bongos and acoustic guitar.

A number of tunes were surprisingly good, if not familiar sounding. 'Suddenly Monday' sounds like a long lost Oasis tune, in the style of 'Round Are Way'. 'I Turn To You' on the other hand is a remix away from being a dance floor classic, while the ballad 'Feel The Sun' will vie with 'Viva Forever' as the weepy slow-dance song of choice for many teenage girls.

After temping audiences with tales of 'Anarchy In The UK' in the press, the biggest surprise the night could muster was a punky version of 'Wannabe' proving that you can take Sporty out of the Spice Girls but you can't take the Spice Girls out of Sporty.

While the comparisons to the throwaway qualities of the Spice Girls are likely to plague Chisholm until the release of maybe the next Spice Girls record, the songs and their reception (remember, hardly anyone in the audience knows any of the tracks apart from 'Goin' Down' and 'Ga Ga' from the 'Big Daddy' soundtrack) are positive indicators that this Spice Girl may be the one that makes a name for herself.

Set List Independence Day Forever Baby Northern Star Be The One Ga Ga Suddenly Monday I Turn To You Feel The Sun If That Were Me Goin' Down Wannabe Wonder What It Would Be Like Go Encore Closer Goin' Down (Acoustic Version)		Concert rating