Review Summary: Ok album, worth a listen but only for the slow songs.
After Geri Halliwell's departure from the Spice Girls in 1998 it seemed that the bands career was over. It sure seemed that way in 1999. Two of the members had gone off to pursue solo careers and it truly seemed like the Spice Girls were no more. Yet after three years since their last album in 1997 the spice girls returned with a new image and new music. they presented Forever an album that was going to reintroduce the Spice Girls to their old fans who at that point were a bit older. They tried to present themselves like more mature hip hop divas, but it was obvious from the beginning that this just wasn't them.
The music was noticibly different. The lead single instead of being a lovable pop song like Spice Up Your Life or Wannabe, showed the Spice Girls in a more mature sexual image. Holler was less pop and more hip hop than the Spice Girls had ever done before. They cannot pull it off as serious hip hop artists. Despite the fact that their fans were older, no one wnated to see their Baby Spice wearing leather singing about making anyone holler. The rest of the fast tempo songs fail to offer anything new. Since this was their "comeback" after Geri left. They had to have their "we're stronger now than ever" this was Right Back At Ya. This might have been a decent track in its pop version as heard at their Earl's Court concert, without the rap.
It actually seems like the album was more about Geri than themselves as songs like Tell Me Why and Let Love Lead The Way prove. the former joins a bunch that includes Get Down With Me, Wasting My Time and Holler where they cannot convince anyone that they are true hip hop stars.
Weekend love might have worked if it was a little less hip hop towards the end. The Spice Girls do that thing again where they think they can rap. Word of advice: don't.
The only upbeat song thats likable is If You Wanna Have Some Fun. The intro is pretty good the song as a whole is very much like their older songs, especially Who Do You Think You Are. However even this song has a flaw, its length. It drastically needs to go back to theediting room and have a few minutes taken off.
Contrary to everything above, the spice girls do get a chance to shine on Forever. Among the mediocre-on-a-good-day hip hop wannabe songs there are four georgeous ballads. Let Love Lead The Way and Goodbye seem to pay tribute to Geri, while Time Goes By and Oxygen are purely love songs. Oxygen is probably the best song from this album. Each girl gets a chance to really show off that they can sing. They do acheive this, if nothing else Forever shows that there was some talent in these girls all along. These songs are close to perfection in both lyrically and vocally.
With Forever the Spice Girls showed that every pop act has its lifespan. They sound dead and their hearts truly were not in the album. Forever also shows what could have been if they really gave it their all and made an album that was truly them. The five good songs on Forever can almost carry the album but not quite. In my opinion however it is worth a listen.
