I.O.U is one of my faves on it :(

I.O.U is one of my faves on it :(

 

And I never could repay that look that's in your eyes :teresa:

 

I.O.U > Stages

 

It’s a bit cheesy, like Lullaby. But I see why it was a single. She needed a song to showcase her real vocals (and show people she can carry a tune). Oh, Victoria...

I agree with Jay IOU is one of my favourites on the album too. I think I Wish is my favourite track on there.

I.O.U > Stages

 

It’s a bit cheesy, like Lullaby. But I see why it was a single. She needed a song to showcase her real vocals (and show people she can carry a tune). Oh, Victoria...

 

Wait. IOU was never a single?... (thank god!)

Wait. IOU was never a single?... (thank god!)

 

 

I think they meant Lullaby, then went back to talking about IOU (since Mel B did not need to prove her vocals!)

Fair dues!

BOP! :cheer:

 

 

SUPER BOP! :cheer:

 

 

She definitely made a huge mistake releasing NSAIG first for sure, I don't know why anybody thought it was strong enough for first single (or a single at all).

I think they meant Lullaby, then went back to talking about IOU (since Mel B did not need to prove her vocals!)

 

My bad. Mel B is my fave with Melanie C. Mel B is and will always be a great dancer and an interesting singer.

 

As for Victoria, she also didn’t need to prove anything, but I guess IOU was the song to shut Daily Mail & co. In fact, she sang it live in multiple occasions.

 

No one needs to prove anything, they’re the effing Spice Girls, but considering how bad was the press, I understand why they tried hard to show their skills.

I love IOU! It’s my favorite track. It’s super sappy but I don’t mind it, I think it’s cute as hell and I love her vocals in it…

My review for Victora Beckham's self-tltled debut album =

Not Such an Innocent Girl
The album opens with the lead single ‘Not Such an Innocent Girl’, a great introduction to the new attitude that Victoria was going for here, shaking off her Posh Spice persona & showing that there’s more to her with this cool catchy R&B pop track with crisp & polished production & confident yet vocals. This is a brilliant effort that sets the right mood for what’s to come & didn’t deserve the unfair treatment that it got upon its release.

A Mind of It's Own
The second track is also the 2nd & final single from this album. This takes a very swift change of pace to the lead single & showcases a different side to Victoria with this mid-tempo track with a laid-back spoken intro, a catchy chorus & some beautiful vocal tones that shows some rarely-seen vulnerability. This track is light & summery thanks to some tinkling acoustic guitars with a wonderful flow throughout. However I don’t think this should have been the 2nd single, she should have gone with something more upbeat first & then have this as single #3.

That Kind of Girl
Slowing things down with this mellow 90’s love jam number with a smooth, relaxed bassline & soft sensual vocals. This song wanders along nicely & love the throwback feel it has throughout. Not as strong as the previous 2 tracks, but a decent album track nonetheless.

Like That
The beat picks up with some cello, harpsichord synths & slick R&B beats. Victoria’s vocals sound stronger & richer on this rather sassy number with its catchy bridge before she brings on the attitude for the catchy chorus. A firm album highlight & could have made for a great single.

Girlfriend
Another R&B tinged track that’s clearly influenced on the then emerging Garage scene, with its hard beats, aggressive vocals & a pretty catchy chorus. The sound on this is perhaps very dated by todays standards, but thankfully it moves along at a brisk pace.

Midnight Fantasy
Things gets better with this next number that’s probably the poppiest moment on here with this cute, playful & energetic number. Full of catchy dance beats, great sultry vocals & light production. Sure this isn’t lyrically deep or anything, but not everything has to be, as this just bops along at a quick-fire pace. Simply brilliant, this could have made for a great 2nd or 3rd single choice.

I.O.U.
This is a rather gentle heartfelt number where Victoria gets to show of her vocal skills, and this time they are pitched against a range of beautiful strings. A simple but sweet song.

No Trix No Games
This is a fairly catchy number with some nice strings, funky bassline & that familiar garage beat is back again in the same vein as some of the album’s previous tracks. Not the most creative track on here, but still pretty good.

I Wish
This was the planned 3rd single from the album & yeah I can see why, its Garage beats has a nice minimal feel to it, with a simple repeated intro with some cool record scratches & crisp bassline. Victoria’s vocals here are light & fits in nicely with the production This kinda sound was popular at the time, but for me that’s the problem as this feels a little too formulaic & would have just blended into the background, I doubt this would have reversed the album’s fortunes by a long shot. But on the whole this is still a decent track.

Watcha Talkin’ About
A gentle, mellow & quite catchy number with some okay vocal effects & a nice mid-tempo flow. But doesn’t quite stand out enough for me, not sure why this just doesn’t quite click with me.

Unconditional Love
This & the previous track is where the album loses steam with this simple & not particularly inspiring track that doesn’t go anywhere interesting, where everything just seems off, even the production & just feels like a very basic paint by numbers generic ballad.

Every Part of Me
The final track on the album & it’s a rather sweet number dedicated to her son Brooklyn (you can even hear his voice & laughter at the beginning). This has a nice melody, nice lyrics & stunning vocals. There’s nothing much else to this, just a cute little moment & a nice ending to the album.

Edited October 25, 20213 yr by Nina West

Nice to see that you generally enjoyed the album! I agree that Like That is a highlight, I wish it could have been a single!

 

Melanie C and Emma are great live, but none of their acoustic stuff is good enough to top this masterpiece.

 

I’ll never understand why she gave up singing.

Track by Track - Victoria/The Sun

 

1. NOT SUCH AN INNOCENT GIRL

Victoria: "It was the last track I recorded and I didn't write this one but the record company loved it so much they wanted it on the album."

Bizarre verdict: A strange choice for the first single release - there are much better songs on this album.

7/10

 

2. A MIND OF ITS OWN

Victoria: "This is one of my favourites on the record - it's got a classic structure with a big chorus."

Bizarre verdict: Great pop song that will go down well with kids.

8/10

 

3. THAT KIND OF GIRL

Victoria: "This is my absolute favourite on the album. I think it sums me and David up perfectly. One of the lines in the song is about sipping champagne out of paper cups - and that's what I do. We're both just like that."

Bizarre verdict: A slow one which is not so catchy but one for the romantics out there.

6/10

 

4. LIKE THAT

Victoria: "I wrote and recorded this in London. It's basically got a different angle to it. I'm singing about a relationship that my friend is having, it's not about me."

Bizarre verdict: A funky, hip tune that reflects the music scene in the UK at the moment.

7/10

 

5. GIRLFRIEND

Victoria: "I wrote this song with Dane Bowers on the train on the way back from Brighton. We literally wrote the lyrics on the backs of our train tickets. It isn't autobiographical, it's about a girl telling her friend not to trust her man because he is cheating on her. It's something that I think a lot of people can relate to."

Bizarre verdict: It has a two-step feel to it and a lot of attitude.

8/10

 

6. MIDNIGHT FANTASY

Victoria: "This is a great pop song, very catchy, quite light and it goes along like a Janet Jackson track. I did this one in Stockholm."

Bizarre verdict: The synth sounds in this make it sound pure pop. Good single potential.

7/10

 

7. I.O.U.

Victoria: "This song is all about David. I just felt that I wouldn't be where I am today without him and this track is dedicated to him. Like the song says, I owe him everything. I would be nothing without him."

Bizarre verdict: Great ballad.

7/10

8. NO TRIX, NO GAMES

Victoria: "Everyone thinks they know me but they don't. This isn't Posh 'n' Becks, this isn't the Spice Girls, this is Victoria Beckham, what do you think? That's what I'm saying here."

Bizarre verdict: One of the best tracks on the album. Its funky, cool and catchy. Could be a chart hit.

8/10

 

9. I WISH

Victoria: "This is quite a cool dancey track. When I went to the recording studios in LA I told the guys I was working with that while I wanted a big American sound, I also wanted to make a pop record."

Bizarre verdict: This is the track that leaked out early on to the internet. Will do well as a single.

8/10

 

10. WHATCHA TALKIN BOUT

Victoria: "I think this is a great blend of American R&B with British pop. It's exactly the type of sound I wanted to create and I think my vocals really come through on this track."

Bizarre verdict: Without a doubt the best track on the album. It's cool, dancey and very much of today, with the same vocal sound Victoria had on the Truesteppers track. Should have been the first single released from the album.

10/10

 

11. UNCONDITIONAL LOVE

Victoria: "This is a lovely ballad - another one I wrote for David. It's all about us and our relationship."

Bizarre verdict: This would make a perfect Christmas single, it's spine-tingling and very romantic.

9/10

 

12. EVERY PART OF ME

 

Victoria: "This song is all about Brooklyn, about how he makes me feel and how I see lots of me in him. He was with me the whole time while I was recording the album and his giggles are on the beginning of the track."

Bizarre verdict: Could make another single release - but don't expect to see Brooklyn in the video!

8/10

 

 

I've never listened to this album (I think the only solo-Spice album I ever bought was Northern Star) but I did buy the two singles from it.

 

A Mind Of It's Own is my favourite. I really loved that song when it was released... and she looked great in the video.

 

I wanted Victoria to be a success as a solo artist, but I don't think she ever stood a chance to be honest.

So the album came on whilst I was working this morning and let me tell you that basically, I need to revise my opinion on this...

 

I still think it is a solid debut with some of the best solo Spice tunes in it. Certainly, it is better than Hot, A Girl Like Me and Schizo. I would say that it is placed in #5 in the best overall solo.Spice discography:

 

#1 Free Me

#2 Life in Mono

#3 Northern Star

#4 Melanie C

#5 Victoria Beckham

 

BUT I am now of the opinion that it should have been no more than a 10 Track EP based on the songs we know from that era... The opening songs and the final two songs really drag it down...

 

Here is what I would have release it as:

 

1. Not Such An Innocent Girl (it's a cute opener)

2. Out of Your Mind (feat Dane Bowers & The Truesteppers)

3. Not That Kind of Girl

4. Like That

5. Feels So Good

6. Midnight Fantasy

7. In Your Dreams

8. No Trix, No Games

9. I Wish

10. Watcha Talkin Bout

 

Singles:

 

1. Like That

2. I Wish

3. Not That Kind of Girl

4. Midnight Fantasy

 

That would be really great as an album and flow well. I will never understand the decisions to release NSAIG and AMOIO as lead singles, wtf!! And not including Out of Your Mind was also very stupid!

 

IOU and the final two tracks are too sloppy for me, and her vocals really strain across them which really isnt a good show on a ballad lol... IOU in particular is grating and she sounds a bit of key

Edited May 10, 20223 yr by Mr.X

If we look at true lead singles from their debut albums, GD, TM, NSAIG, WTYSL and LAM. WTYSL and LAM did best as they were just good songs that played to Emma and Geri's strength.

 

Victoria and Mel B released lead singles that were more about tabloid stories and forgot about just releasing a good song. Mel C tried to release something completely left field probably again that was to show people she isn't what the press has her pinned as.

 

Those 3 were basically the sort of songs I'd expect insta influencers to release these days where it is more about the celebrity than the actual substance of making a great song.

Yeah specially with Victoria, it felt really pointed to release Not Such An Innocent Girl first! Like, it is a good song, just not single material at all...

Yeah specially with Victoria, it felt really pointed to release Not Such An Innocent Girl first! Like, it is a good song, just not single material at all...

 

I mean, it was essentially bought as the lead single because they felt they didn't have a strong enough song to lead with...