Piers

Anyway. I've heard Mel C say loads of times that the unreleased stuff stayed unreleased for a reason. But here's her problem. Some of the other girls and their collaborators have spent too much time saying the opposite. It's just made fans hungrier for it for 20 years. I mean. Biff called Feed Your Love one of his favorite recordings he did with them. He's also talked up his unused Forever-era tracks in the past...and both he and Eliot Kennedy have expressed disappointment about their material not getting used. Mel B's said they have loads of great unreleased songs. Emma talked up W.O.M.A.N. during recording...and later said she was disappointed it didn't make the album, and it wasn't her call. Victoria also said at one time she was disappointed the pop stuff went unreleased. Then there's the matter of the four Eliot tracks from Forever that did leak. You might like em. You might not. But they are clearly worthy of some kind of release. Personally, I like the pop Right Back At Ya, Pain Proof, and Give You What You Want better than at least five tracks that did make Forever. Logic would dictate the Biff material's probably even better. He had the midas touch in the late 90s/early 2000s, and I doubt he was going to drop the ball for his biggest act. So. I mean. They've kinda turned themselves into their own worst enemies in regards to unreleased fan stuff. That said. I get why they wouldn't especially want Strong Enough out there...

I think Can't Stay Tonight would be a Spiceworld-era demo. Wasn't there a song called Dingeling that popped up on some publishing sites from that era? Even though it might have been considered for a Spice Up Your Life b-side at some point, I'm fairly sure Strong Enough is from the Spice recordings. Anyway. Might be nice to hear a polished up version of Can't Stay Tonight that includes the whole group. I think we confirmed at one point that a group recording of it exists...rather than just the Mel C solo, though I haven't read about anyone hearing it. Might be an interesting listen. With the song's structure, I'm not sure how the group would sound on it. I'm not terribly hopeful about Spiceworld-era extras, though. Whatever existed...they chose to release two singles without original songs as b-sides at all...and one single got Spice Invaders. So. Whatever was left can't be their best stuff...

^ I do actually like that side profile shot from their Interactive CD-ROM. It's a pretty shot...though I don't think it's dynamic enough for an album cover. It would have made a decent single cover, though. And yes, I agree about the Let Love Lead the Way cover too. It's a nice enough picture of Emma. But the rest of them are so naturally beautiful that's it's puzzling Richardson managed to take such 'off' shots of them. Victoria practically looks like she's cast in shadow for the witness protection program. It's got the harsh lighting and shadowed faces of a picture taken outside with a disposable camera...which, I suppose, is exactly what it is. I guess Richardson was going for a particular aesthetic. But. What can I say? Back when I was in high school, we went into a wooded area to take my prom pictures...and my mom did a better job with a disposable camera than Terry Richardson. I would have been glad to have loaned her to the Spice Girls for their album shoot. She's very nice and provides cookies.

Beyond a lot of the photos being unflattering, it's still super weird to me how much the Terry Richardson shoot does not reflect the vibe of the album. The cover of that album doesn't make me expect Holler and Tell Me Why. It makes me expect...rich wives at a dinner party singing jazz standards around a piano? I remember reading an article years ago that dealt with the Virgin executives being confused and concerned over Richardson ditching professional equipment for the shoot to take many of the shots on dozens of cheap disposable cameras. This is one of those moments, you'd think someone at Virgin or one of the girls themselves would step in and course correct things...instead of just throwing the single worst shot on the album cover. Anyway. The orange couch photo IS the best thing to come out of Richardson's photo series. But if we're talking about photos not by Richardson...maybe the vinyl cover could be a shot by their longtime photog Dean Freeman? Did he take their Christmas tour program shots? There again...the pics don't reflect the content of the album...and they predate Forever by a year...but at least they're pretty shots. There was another really pretty shot taken of them on the set of Let Love Lead the Way. Not clear on if that was by Richardson...but I'm sure someone in here would know.

Viva Forever's in the movie. It plays when the girls go revisit that abandoned cafe and then walk to a bench to talk about fame. I know there's some murkiness to the Best Song rules...with the song having to be written expressly for the movie production. I know in the 80s...Maniac from Flashdance was disqualified when it was learned an earlier version of the song existed before the film came along. But my general feeling is nearly everything from the girls' second album could technically qualify for the category (similar to Prince's material for Purple Rain). They recorded the second album at the same time as the movie was in production. They're titled the same thing. They're definitely linked projects. The only exceptions would probably be Move Over (the chorus existed before the girls/producers built the rest of the song around it) and bonus track Step to Me (part of the Spice sessions). And if they were to hedge their bets by putting forth just one song...I would think Viva Forever, Stop, Too Much, or even Never Give Up on the Good Times would have been good choices. Again, they weren't respected enough to get the nomination. But their songs were technically better than a lot of what does make the Academy list. If the animated movie does get off the ground, I think they have a really unique challenge with the new music. I'm assuming the animated Spices will not be singing Holler in a kids' movie. Instead, they're going to have to record material that can fit alongside their 90s hits...even though both the girls as solo artists and their collaborators have long evolved from that sound. I think we've been down this road before...and a previous attempt to recapture that 1996-1998 sound is what brought us Headlines and Voodoo. Now, personally...I think Headlines is quite beautiful...and think Voodoo is "fine"...but there's no question they're divisive among fans. Can their work be better liked this time? My hope is they can get something together along the lines of Can't Stop the Feeling from the Trolls movie...another Best Song nominee. Something that's big and broadly likable.

Had a thought. I realize any song the girls did in the 90s would be very unlikely to get Oscar attention (not because of the songs' quality...but because of the group's perception at the time). But. In theory at least...couldn't they have thrown Viva Forever at the Best Song category back then? I'm sure Academy members would have rather keeled over dead than nominate something from Spice World. But. Had Viva Forever been the submission...it'd at least make a few voting members perk up and say..."...well...I wasn't expecting...that..." I would think any song from Spice World could technically be classified as "written for the movie", right? I mean. They were writing the album between scenes, after all. Anyway. Spice World was released in 1998 in America, so any song would have been eligible for the awards show in 1999. It was When You Believe by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey that won best song that year. I guess I'm biased, but I think Viva Forever is quite a bit better, actually. On the flip side, Too Much was nominated for Worst Song at the Razzies. Which. Look. Spice World deserved some of its Razzie attention...but Too Much certainly didn't. Too Much was nominated against Don't Wanna Miss a Thing by Aerosmith...which somehow got nominated for Worst Song at the Razzies AND Best Song at the Oscars. Go figure. Last thought. It may still be something of a longshot, but I actually think the girls would be MORE likely to get Grammy/Oscar consideration for a movie soundtrack song today...than they would back in the 90s. The harsh perception of them has softened. The awards shows aren't actually as stuffy and pretentious. Look. Everything Is Awesome from the Lego Movie managed to get nominated for Best Song. If the girls come up with something catchy and likable enough...I don't think it's *impossible*, per se.

Well. I know I should reserve any judgement until we see a trailer (...if the project gets that far...). But...I also kinda wonder if an animated film by a major studio can truly understand them...and their somewhat unique appeal. Spice World isn't a very good movie in a lot of ways, but it was very keen in one specific area. It understood the girls' audience. They created a movie that can play to kids...just as well as it can to a gay audience there for the camp factor. It's honestly a rare feat. How many movies could be played at a kids' sleepover party...and also at a drag bar re-enactment and perfectly fit at both? Frankly, the bad movie elements of it make it play even better on the midnight movie circuit now. Spice World may not have had the best team of filmmakers...but it did have people who got the group. Will Paramount Animation let their freak flag fly? Anyway. If this gets off the ground, I really hope the animation passes the social media test. The last thing we need is an audience reaction disaster like Cats or the original design of Sonic the Hedgehog. I can just imagine Twitter being littered with "WHY IS VICTORIA'S HEAD SO DAMN BIG?" "EMMA'S EYES LOOK DEAD" "CARTOON GERI IS WHAT YOU SEE BEFORE YOU DIE" And so forth.

This might be a cynical outlook, but I'm expecting the animated film to go into development hell and then die a quiet death. It's not that I necessarily want that to happen. I'll take anything I can get out of the group. But. Really. This idea? It's so...unprecedented. When has an animated film ever been made about a pop group that hasn't been a force in music for 20 years? I mean. If they were doing an animated film about New Kids on the Block right now, I'd think it was the most random thing in the world. I 100% get that the girls are (and will be for a long time) in major demand for live shows. But their core audience is in their mid-30s now. I'm assuming an animated film will be targeted at kids. Is this not directed the wrong way? Is the hope that parents will drag their kids along to "come listen to mommy's music" ? Anyway. Hope I'm wrong. Hope it comes out. Hope it's a big hit. But. Y'know. These are my thoughts for now...

I like Tell Me Why...and think it should have been a single just based on the fact it's a good song. Memorable chorus. Darkchild doesn't overstay his welcome. I do wonder what the subject would have done for the song, though. With it obviously being about Geri, it may have drummed up enough controversy to make a big hit. At the same time...it is a bit of a bummer that they'd taken the high road on the subject on Goodbye...only for this song to come along and kinda say "...but this is how we really feel..." I get that the group had the right to be frustrated with Geri. But. Looking at the context of 1999/2000/2001...is it possible the group could have come off as mean by releasing this as a single? Typically, their music was so positive. Their ire had only been directed at inconsequential dudes who did wrong and now have to be shown the door. Now...it would be directed at a former member. Would it have been a good look? By this point, Mel C had put down Geri's singing ability several times...Victoria said she didn't like Geri's music...and even Emma didn't like Look At Me. I think Geri was starting to look like the innocent party being picked on...and never firing back. If the song was a single, you know everyone would ask Geri what she thought of it. I wonder what she would have said... Final thought. Do we think the girls would have even admitted in 2000/2001 that Tell Me Why was about Geri? Yes, a few have admitted it since then. But I can kinda imagine them being asked the question in 2000/2001 and responding with aloof non-answers. "At the end of the day, people will think it's about what they want it to be about." Something like that.

I like Get Down With Me and Wasting My Time as solid album tracks...though I don't view them as potential single choices like some fans. I think their problem is more in the context of the album. The novelty of the Spice Girls doing American-sounding r'n'b kinda wares off after Holler and Tell Me Why. By the time tracks 5 and 6 roll around, I think that's the point the album should have shifted off in some new, interesting direction. Instead it's...even more Darkchild-style r'n'b. Rodney Jerkins claimed at the time he wanted to do a rock song with them...and I think he should have to change up the album's dynamic. Frankly, he had Pain Proof sitting right there and might have been able to adapt it a bit to his style while retaining the guitars. But as standalone songs? I do like Get Down With Me and Wasting My Time. As a minor criticism, I think the ad-libs feel a bit forced at times on both. But both are legitimately catchy, and I find myself humming them sometimes.

Oh yeah! I always forget about that one. No, I don't think it was recorded...and the explanation given was that George Michael and his collaborator didn't have the song submitted in time. Unlike the Hercules song and Girlfriend/Boyfriend, I can't imagine the girls doing December Song at all. I think it made for a pretty, subtle song for George Michael...but I don't think it sounds remotely like the Spice Girls, and I definitely can't imagine them making religious references to Jesus. It'd be interesting to know what was happening behind the scenes leading up to the Greatest Hits album...as there was clearly an attempt to give us more new music than what we eventually got. The girls had four songs recorded...George Michael was writing them a song...and then Ne-Yo was claiming he was asked to write some songs (but never had the time to do it). There another collaborator we just haven't heard about? It's all very...random. Anyway. Back to the topic at hand. Mr. X's list about sums up what I'd want to hear. I'd most want to finally see performances of If You Wanna Have Some Fun and Tell Me Why...as they were the hits that should have been.

I don't think there's many, really...as the group tended to be part of the writing sessions for their material. I can only think of two by name. One is I Won't Say I'm in Love from Disney's Hercules. The writer of the song has confirmed he offered it to the girls to sing for the film's soundtrack (a pop version of the song in the film), but it never panned out. Other than that, it was long claimed the Spice Girls collaborated with Blackstreet on the original version of Boyfriend/Girlfriend...a song that was released with Janet Jackson. Is the claim true? The rumor and song title were around before the Janet Jackson recording was released, so maybe? There were a lot of articles about the song way back then...though I'm not sure I've seen an actual quote from any of the girls or Blackstreet members about it. The song's kinda structured to where the four girls could have been involved...though the track's only 'okay' as far as I'm concerned. Wasn't a huge hit and doesn't seem to be especially remembered today. Wyclef Jean also offered a song to them for Forever...though I'm not sure of the name or if it ever ended up released by another act. There are more stories for the solo members and the songs they almost recorded. But that's a whole other thing...

Mixed thoughts on this. I do think Simon could have given the group's iconic era a grand finale and sense of closure (instead of the two year downward spiral we got instead). He could have also guided the girls into their solo careers in a comfortable transition where they weren't unleashing five albums in a year and canceling out each other's chances of success. But. That said. While Simon did a lot of good, he wasn't a perfect manager. Some of the deals he was signing were getting a bit...iffy and questionable. Meanwhile, there was a truly great opportunity to record a song for the Hercules soundtrack that he let fell apart on his watch. It couldn't have taken that long for the group to record. Song was already written. A relationship with Disney would have been beneficial in the longterm. A quality collaboration. But instead...he was the type of manager who made sure the world got Spice Girls pizza. Beyond that, it was actually after he was gone that the group really started showing their ability as live performers. I know he's said some things about making the tour bigger and better through a series of sponsorship deals. But. Would a truckload more commercials have been good for them at that point after they'd done so many already? Also. Istanbul happened under his watch. While I like Istanbul, the world tour/Wembley is technically a better show. I guess he could have gotten us a fancier stage or something. But...the way it happened...we got a solid show...that didn't have to come with a hundred more sponsorship deals...and it didn't cost young fans an arm and a leg either. As for the second movie, I'm not sure I can quite envision the half scripted/half improvised approach he's proposed. I think there might have been a fun road trip movie to come out of the tour. But making them shoot the movie while touring AND (presumably) writing a third album all at the same time seems impossible. Furthermore, while I basically like Spice World for what a camp movie it is...if we're being honest, we could have gotten a better film had Simon not used his nepotism to hire his brother as screenwriter.

I won't name names (as to not start a war)...but I'll just say...there were a lot of new pop acts arriving on the scene around this point in time who were releasing perfectly well-crafted debut albums. But if we're being honest...the songs by those artists were 100% interchangeable. And that's really not true of a lot of Geri's Schizophonic material. The album's kinda...unapologetically weird. I'm not sure another big pop star of the time would have done those shouty bits in Sometime. They certainly wouldn't have recorded the "little white lie" part of Look At Me. They wouldn't have touched You're In a Bubble. And I mean it as a compliment. You may or may not like those elements...but I appreciate the quirk. She was many things...but she wasn't an anonymous recording artist. It's obvious she had major influence over the lyrics and direction of the album. Anyway. I actually think Schizophonic's pretty solid. Top to bottom. The songs are catchy and memorable...and would probably be far better remembered/respected had they been recorded by the Spice Girls. It the album perfect? No. While I like Lift Me Up, her voice cracking at the beginning really should have been re-recorded. It couldn't have been that hard of a fix. And I don't think You're in a Bubble is much of a song. I wish they'd dumped that one...put Summertime somewhere in the track line-up...and closed out the album with Someone's Watching Over Me. I actually like her two follow-up albums better than seemingly 95% of fans. But while I think her voice seems more comfortable on the latter two albums (no voice cracks or songs clearly outpacing her abilities), Schizophonic by far feels the most personal.

Ultimately, I think they were probably right to strike out in another direction with new collaborators. I really like their unreleased pop version of Right Back At Ya...but after Mel C's Goin Down...and Victoria's Out of Your Mind...would it not have been odd that the group didn't evolve and grow like the individual members had? They weren't a nostalgia group yet. They still had the opportunity for reinvention. Darkchild and Jam & Lewis were a good start...but I think they should have brought in another one or two fresh collaborators. Rick Nowels may have been a prime choice at the time...as he did awesome stuff with Mel C (and Geri later). They initially had the right idea in having three Darkchild songs. Holler needed to happen. But he ended up with too much control. One of the main appeals of the group for me was seeing what genres they could explore. Darkchild made things too samey. Someone like Nowels could have given us a true rock Spice Girls track...and maybe some other dancey, guitary pop with a more mature edge than what they'd done before. Anyway. That was longwinded, but I still do like the album we got. It's better than a lot of the big hit albums of that year...and I actually think Darkchild's work on Forever towers over the stuff he did for Michael Jackson and Britney around the same era. And I think Holler/Let Love Lead the Way, Tell Me Why, If You Wanna Have Some Fun, and Oxygen would have made an excellent singles run. (I realize that last one's divisive...but...whatever. I've always thought it was gorgeous)

One more thought about this era. Yes, it was self-sabotage for Hot to release just weeks before Forever. But. I've always found the explanation behind that to be odd. Virgin had concerns about the release strategy but Mel pushed ahead anyway? But. Like. Couldn't Virgin just stop her? It was obviously a waste of their money and resources. How'd Mel have that much power? It's not like Mel could just burn the CDs and stock them in the stores herself. Anyway. That said, I do think she was right about Tell Me as the lead single. It's dynamic. It tackles her drama head-on. Song fits her like a glove. Fab video. Feels So Good ended up being the bigger hit (and I love that one too), but to me Tell Me was an excellent album launcher.

It's a really odd thing to think back and remember...from October 2000 through October 2001, four of the girls released albums...and so did the group. All FIVE (and the group) released singles in that stretch. I'm too lazy to add up all the single/album sales from that year span. But I'm sure altogether they'd make up a pretty respectable number. Some of the fanbase was still there. It's just...ALL of them stretched it so thin at once. The record label shouldn't have allowed it to happen like that. And yes. I have wondered if the solo careers could have had more longevity had the group not fallen apart in the way it did. We'd waited ages for a third group album only for them to abandon it immediately and start up that "we're focusing on solo for now!" talk. Mel B even said some nutty things about perhaps releasing more Forever singles in 2002. It wasn't enough to lose me as a fan (hey...I'm still here). But. I mean. It was annoying...

I guess I like A Girl Like Me better than most. To my ears What Took You So Long, Take My Breath Away, High On Love, and Better Be Careful sounded like the obvious singles...and would have made a strong chart run. I think High On Love is the second best song on the album...and it (along with Better Be Careful) deserved a top 10. I think most of the rest is solid album material. To me, the only truly 'meh' songs are Been There, Done That and She Was a Friend of Mine. With those two...coupled with two 'fine' covers...I get the album's not perfect. But I don't think What Took You So Long is the lone redeemer of it either. I do think out of her material she'd done, though...both Invincible and Free Up Your Mind (perhaps with a punchier, slicker mix) are quite a bit better than the songs I mentioned above. Not sure the full story on Invincible...as it ended up being released as a single by another artist in that same general time period. Emma had a better shot at making the song famous. I do find it unusual throughout the course of the album, she manages to have material that's both mature for her image....AND material that sounds even younger than the Spice album material from five years before. Not a complaint, really. It's possible an entire album of guitary lite-pop may have become boring.

I'd love to know what was happening behind the scenes in regards to the solo Spices and their attempts to get play in the US. MTV News covered the solo Spices quite a lot...including some prominent features on I Want You Back and Word Up. I remember them airing a little interview with Mel and Mini Me on the set of the second video. However. I think MTV News is as far as anything ever got. I never saw the videos for I Want You Back or Word Up ever show up on MTV (though a few people have said I Want You Back made some appearances on BET). Anyway. Madonna's Beautiful Stranger and Lenny Kravitz's American Woman were hits off that Austin Powers album...so...I guess they thought they'd try for another. With the Dr. Evil set at their disposal, I kinda wish they'd done something more interesting with the video. Though. I guess Mel's outfit does qualify as 'interesting'. It's like her team got together in a meeting and were like..."...we'll...uh...dress her up like a satellite...?" And, yes. The performances are unfortunately dull. I guess Mel didn't think she was back in fighting shape at that point? Hard to say. She showed up to the Austin Powers premiere around that time in a shirt so thin she was practically topless. I thought she always looked great. It's a far cry from a few years later...when the girls would have a baby and be back doing interviews and hosting shows practically a week later.

Anyway. About Word Up. I loved Mel's version on first listen. Still love it now. I really love those early releases from Mel. I Want You Back, Word Up, and Sophisticated Lady seemed to imply we were getting a really cool album with a dark vibe. Interestingly, I think only Step Inside lives up to that vibe with the album release. The unreleased I've Got My Eye On You also has it. However. I can't defend the video. I'm not offended by it...but I do think it's trying really, really hard to be crass. As soon as the monster with the dildo nose stops and farts...I'm kinda over it. There are a few images in it that I like. The foot stepping down and turning into the high heel boot is cool. But make no mistake. Even back in 1999, I didn't think the animation looked any good. This is the same year that gave us Busta Rhymes and Janet Jackson's What's It Gonna Be (by the same director of Mel's I Want You Back, no less). The Word Up video was not on par with 1999. It looked like an unfinished student film. And not one that'd get an A either. That one shot of the dildo monster running in place in the air is the sort of sloppy mistake that shouldn't have made it to air. Anyway. Lots of mistakes were made with Hot. About half of its made of clunkers from collaborators who weren't even trying. But I do think I Want You Back, Tell Me, and Feels So Good are as good as anything from the solo Spice vault.

I think what he's referring to is...Mel C already had an entire year of success with Northern Star. She'd toured it. Got hits. The album had run its course by the time Forever rolled around. And prioritizing If That Were Me over Holler was perhaps...an unusual thing to do after so much money had been spent on Forever (though the former song was for a good cause...)

It's interesting to me that several don't think their solo work could be group songs. I'm much the opposite. I think quite a lot of their solo work could have been group material. I mean, they couldn't pull off Goin' Down or anything. And I don't think much of the more adult contemporary stuff would fit them (particularly Mel C's music from Reason through This Time). But I guess it depends on what you believe checks the boxes for a Spice Girls song. For me...the upbeat songs are the type of dancey that fit a choreographed routine...anything retro-sounding also makes the cut...and it'd need to have a chorus that'd fit a group performance. Geri's stuff, in particular, has a lot of technically well-crafted songs that are only held back by her vocal limitations. If the group recorded Mi Chico Latino and Bag It Up, we'd probably view them in the same way we do the Spiceworld material. Feels So Good and Tell Me would easily fit on Forever (same producers). I Turn To You would be a killer stadium song. Never Be the Same Again could have been an even bigger deal as Spice Girls ft. Left Eye. The Free Me album was based on the 60s girl group sound, anyway. It could have been a cool one-off retro project for the girls. Anyway. All hypotheticals. But I do think the solo Spices themselves are the best indicator of what the group would have sounded like had they soldiered on. And even though some believe their later solo material would be beneath the group...the reality is the Spice Girls' Scream If You Wanna Go Faster would probably be better liked by fans than VooDoo.

Both of these are from when I was a kid...and I *think* I had them cleared up by the time the Northern Star era was over. But... In Goin Down, instead of "I'm singin' it looouuud", I thought it was "I'm thinkin' it's tiiiiime!" I thought she was referring to it being time to strike out on her own, hit back at the guy in the song, reveal her true self, etc. Anyway. Listening back to it just now, it doesn't sound anything like "I'm thinkin' it's time." But. Whatever. The really unfortunate misunderstanding I had was on I Turn To You, though. Instead of "When my insides are wracked with anxiety"...I thought the line was "Our minds are ERECT with anxiety." Yeah. Uh. Yeah.

Christmas Wrapping by a mile...though if I'm being honest, they're both in my bottom three least favorite things the group ever released (next to Spice Invaders). With Sleigh Ride, I don't understand the echo effect on their speaking voices at all. It sounds like it was recorded in a bathroom. I get that it's meant to be a spontaneous insight into their personalities...but after more than 20 years, I still don't know a lot of what they're saying...and what I can make out is mostly nonsensical. Also. Only Emma's voice sounds like a particularly natural fit for the song. Christmas Wrapping starts out well enough, but I've always found it an awkward song challenging itself to see how many lyrics can be crammed into a few minutes. I remember being really surprised it was a cover...as it always struck me as something the girls must've scribbled out with their team between recording better songs. It's a little odd to me only Emma and Mel C recorded it. Mel B and Victoria were still making a lot of appearances with the group during that time, and it wouldn't seem like the pregnancies would get in the way of recording a few lines. The song's structured to have four solo parts anyway. Plus, "oh DAMN, guess what I forgot" should definitely belong to Mel B. As Christmas material goes, I think the two songs they performed on their 1999 ringside tour fit them far better. If I did Christmas mixes, I'd be a lot more likely to include that little medley.

While I'd be wary of them linking up with just any ole big name for new material...I'll make an exception for one. Would it be possible for them to work with Mark Ronson? I mean. I get he's a huge deal...and maybe that doesn't necessarily go together with a group that hasn't been a major force in the charts for about 20 years. But. His work is often retro...big, crowd pleasing, sing-a-long pop stuff. He's also into genre-hopping and can pull off a lot of different sounds well. That seems to be pretty in line with what the girls were doing well in their heyday.