Rating: ****

The return of the Spice Girls was a highlight of 2019 for pop music fans worldwide but, for Melanie C, reuniting with Emma Bunton, Geri Horner and Mel B for the group’s Spice World Tour was life-changing. 

After dropping her seventh solo record, Version of Me, in 2016, and embarking on an extensive tour in support of the album, Melanie hit the road with the ‘90s girlband for their first trek in more than a decade – and the experience enabled the star to rediscover herself. 

Now, she’s back with her new, self-titled album – and it’s her most personal effort to date. 

“I’ve got nothing left to hide / I’m comfortable with what’s inside / You think you’ve known me all this time,” she declares on opening track Who I Am, insisting “I’m ready to drop my armour”. The self-love anthem is a mission statement for the star and the perfect re-introduction to Melanie C. 

The massive opener is closely followed by second single, Blame It on Me – another dancefloor staple that sees the star show off her newfound confidence as she calls out a toxic lover. Taking ownership and control of situations is a theme throughout Melanie C, with tracks like third single, In and Out of Love, and album cuts Good Enough and Here I Am following the trend of the record’s opening numbers. 

While the LP shows off Melanie’s distinctive voice, it’s also a testament to her skill and craft as a songwriter and producer – the first album, and surely not the last, on which she’s credited for her hand in production. 

Consequently, there’s a thread running through the record – beyond the singer herself – that makes the whole project gel and advance group of songs to become a collective body of work. 

While promoting the record, Melanie opened up on suffering an identity crisis, admitting she “spent many years trying to find myself” once the Spice Girls were over. For fans, her conflict proved fruitful and a recipe for success – just take a look at her early solo releases. 

Flipping from Euro-dance (I Turn To You) to R&B (Never Be the Same Again) and alt-rock (Goin’ Down) was second nature to Mel – who’s also nailed musical theatre and traditional covers, both worlds away from the dance-pop of her Spice Girls years. 

Now, though, she knows who she is – “I am Sporty Spice, what am I trying to find?” – and Melanie lays herself bare on her new album. Electronic beats and lyrics laden with attitude characterise the ‘Melanie C sound’, which is inflected on all of the album’s tracks but never becomes repetitive.

Escape and Overload tone down club beats for a more laid back sound with elements of dream pop and trip-hop sound, while the moody Nowhere to Run is the darkest, moodiest track on the album. 

When the album doesn’t quite hit the mark, it’s not through want of trying. Fourth single Fearless is a strong standalone track but, sequenced between funky Overload and album highlight Here I Am, it becomes forgettable. Similarly, End of Everything is an inoffensive closer – but you’re already deciding which track to revisit first.

In reality, though, that’s less a criticism and more a reflection on the strength of Melanie C – the album and the woman – and a record that, more than two decades into her career, is without a doubt her most confident, polished, and exciting release to date.

Melanie C is available on digital download, CD and vinyl.