SiMH❤ Ode to Girl Power

Once upon a time, in another life I was a crazy Spice Girls fan. Who am I kidding I still am. I have been known to rock out to Spice from time to time (I know you do it too but won’t admit it). My friends and I used to pretend to be the Spice Girls and I was Baby Spice (if I could do it again I would definitely be Ginger). It’s really funny to think that those five British ladies inspired a generation but they really did. The term Girl Power became something young girls could say with pride and as a part-time feminist I love that  fact.  Before Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez, the Spice Girls were the music industry’s very first brand with watches, colouring books and lollipops, and who didn’t want to wear those huge platform shoes (I had 3 pairs). Now in terms of talent, the Spice Girls aren’t your Mariah Careys and Christina Aguileras, but they worked. The were fun, in your face and easy on the eye. These gals bought the energy and attitude of rock music to pretty, squeaky clean pop. The Spice Girls are probably one of the reasons I wish to explore a career in music. They had their drama but it was nice to see a group of girls drive so many people crazy. They came, they saw and conquered the global music industry, and although fame conquered them they held the top spot well. It’s sad that they have been reduced to bad jokes and Halloween costumes but let’s be realistic something that big was bound to fall at some point. My favourite Spice Girls tracks are Stop, Spice Up Your Life, That Love Thing and Too Much. I don’t really like Wannabe but I get the appeal. Without these girls, pop music would be a totally different genre. They deserve respect for ruling and redefining it.

Comeback Season!!

Remember when the Spice Girls had a comeback album a few years ago? I don’t really remember either. What about Mase’s comeback remmber that? Didn’t think so. It’s thin line between good and bad comebacks and this post celebrates the few that I find worth mentioning. These are the comebacks that were worth my listening.

Take That

Did you know that in 1996 the UK government had to start up a hotline to counsel distraught Take That fans, after they learnt of the band’s disbanding?  Or that they are the only boyband to win an Ivor Novello, thanks to Gary Barlow’s songwriting skills. I mean, I love Robbie Williams and all but he really thought Take That were finito without him. After a hiatus we thought they were done but boy did they surprise him and the rest of the world with their smash single “Shine.” This wasn’t just any ordinary comeback this one was one for the books. Did you know that their 2010 album Progress is the fastest selling album of all time in UK and that they are Amazon.com’s highest selling artists. Impressive!! They’ve been around for a while and their still going strong. Robbie rejoined them for Progress and you can also catch them on the X-Men:First Class soundtrack with Love Love one of my favourites.

 

Sade

Before Soldier of Love the last time we had heard form this group was in 2000 with “Lover’s Rock” and they returned with a bang. The UK native’s comeback album didn’t disappoint. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and at number four in the UK, and it also won a Grammy. What I will always admire about these veterans is that they march to the beat of their own drum, stick to their style and resist commercial pressure and it is worth it in the end. Salute to the Soldiers.

Maxwell

Ok so you might have realised that I am a big fan of this dude. He is supertalented with a voice that could make any female faint. After an 8 year hiatus Maxwell came back with a new look and a hit record BLACKsummer’snight in 2009. The record received rave reviews. The album sold 316,000 copies in its first week,debuted at number one on Billboard and won two Grammy’s. It went on to sell over 1 million copies in the US. I don’t think anyone was surprised by this success, I mean I certainly wasn’t. Hats off to a well deserved success!!

 Incubus

2000 was the year I discovered rock music and I’ve never been the same after that. The bands responsible were Limp Bizkit, Puddle of Mudd, Linkin Park, Blink 182 and INCUBUS. Their tracks Drive and Wish you were Here were some of my favourites and then they released Nice to Know You and I was in love and have been ever since. So you can just imagine how excited I was when I learnt of the release of their album, “If Not Now,When?” I am impressed with what I have heard so far. The single Adolescents is also doing pretty well on the charts so I am definitely pleased.