Sunday, January 26, 1997

Spice Girls need more seasoning

You'd think Britain's female version of Take That would have racked up enough record sales to keep critics silent.

But strangely enough, 5.5 million sales worldwide (not including the U.S., where the album will be released Feb. 4) can be wrong.

Let's put it this way, this is a girl gang you wouldn't exactly be afraid of running into in a dark alley.

The five members -- Mel B., Mel C., Victoria, Geri and Emma -- write and sing frothy pop confections with little in the way of a street edge. (Although Mel B. -- God bless her -- does have a pierced tongue and an apparent fondess for hip-hop.)

To their credit, the Spice Girls do get past their manufactured, teeny-popper image -- the liner notes contain autographs, fan club info and a smorgasbord of items for sale -- on a couple of songs.

Certainly not the irritating first single Wannabe, which, remarkably, has sold over three million copies around the globe.

Much better listening, believe it or not, is the uptempo R&B of Love Thing, Mama and Naked -- in which they're closer in sound to En Vogue than Take That.

Helping out the five gals, who co-wrote all 10 tracks on the album after dumping the original male duo that got them together via an advertisement, are producers Richard Stannard, Matt Rowe and producing duo Absolute (Al Green, Lisa Stansfield).

But like all teen acts, whether the Spice Girls have what it takes to make it beyond one-hit-wonder-land will depend on the next album.

That's, of course, assuming there is one.

Track Listing Wannabe Say You'll Be There 2 Become 1 Love Thing Last Time Lover Mama Who Do You Think You Are Something Kinda Funny Naked If U Can't Dance