Spice, Spice Girls

With a debut album like Spice, it's no wonder the Spice Girls solidified themselves as one of the most iconic and bestselling girl groups. Spice has all those delightful 90s pop qualities: the drum machines, the anthem lyrics, the electropop production. But I have to say, Spice has a lot more substance to it than I expected it to.

The album starts with a bang with "Wannabe"-- no surprise that this song remains as popular as it is. It stays strong with boppy, witty "Say You'll Be There." Emotion pours out of tracks like "2 Become 1" and "Mama". Fun theatrical edits in songs like "Naked" and "Last Time Lover" add attitude and fun to tracks that would otherwise be looked over as filler tracks. The album closes with one last upbeat, hip-hop inspired track with "If U Can't Dance."

Stand out tracks: "Wannabe" "Who Do You Think You Are"

My favorite tracks: "Say You'll Be There" "Love Thing"

This is a feel-good album, no doubt about it. It seems like it would be best paired with a feather boa, platform boots,

rhinestone hair clips, lip gloss, and a strut. Spice deserves every bit of hype it comes with. It's is catchy, dancy, clever, sassy-- all the exact right things a 90s pop girl group album should be.

AM I OBSESSED?

RATING:

KINDA OBSESSED

If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power, Halsey

So full disclosure, I have been a fan of Halsey since their debut EP Room 93 back in 2014. She caught my attention early on with songs like "Is There Somewhere" and "Ghost." She came out of the gate strong with their debut album Badlands in 2015, and for me, If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power is their best album since that debut.

If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power was one of my favorite albums of 2021, but I seemed to forget about it after I stopped listening to it on repeat (I blame the release Red (Taylor's Version) for that). I'm so glad I got back to this album because, it has a lot of good songs on it and it's stunning as a cohesive album.

Stand out tracks: "I am not a woman, I'm a god" "Easier Than Lying" "Ya'aburnee"

My favorites: "The Lighthouse" "Girl is a Gun" "You asked for this"

If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power is Halsey's furthest dive into pop-rock that she's ever gone-- and it suits them. The medieval theming of the album artwork carries through in the gorgeous, ethereal sounds of songs like "The Tradition" "1121" and "Whispers" and then crosses into the songs depicting strength, darkness, and unrelenting power like "Easier Than Lying" "I am not a woman, I'm a god" and "The Lighthouse." Weaved between ethereal and power are the relatively lighter songs that could be easily looked over, like "Lilith" "Darling" and "Ya'aburnee;" these are the songs that truly showcase Halsey's natural vocal talent and her ability to write a truly poetic love song. So ultimately, Halsey delivered on both love and power on this album.

AM I OBSESSED?

RATING:

FULLY OBSESSED

Synchronicity, The Police

Synchronicity is a fascinating thing for The Police to have called this album. In knowing that it was their final studio album as a band, a title depicting cohesion is interesting on its own. But in listening to Synchronicity, it feels very much like two albums (perhaps an A-side and a B-side as it would have been popular to listen to it as when it was released).

I happened to have really liked what I think of as the B-side of the album, starting with "Synchronicity II". But in all honesty, I didn't get much out of tracks 2-5, and "Mother" was distinctly jarring and off-putting (that's likely the point of the song, but it still doesn't mean I enjoyed listening to it.

Stand out tracks: "Every Breath You Take" "Wrapped Around Your Finger"

My favorites: "Synchronicity I" "Synchronicity II" "Tea in the Sahara"

It makes all the sense in the world to me why "Every Breath You Take" was not only a hit, but a classic. It's a breath of fresh air when you hit the middle of this album and, when coupled with "King of Pain," it makes for a beautiful soft rock section of this album. I enjoyed the jazz-y, relaxed track "Tea in the Sahara" even though it could easily slip between the cracks due to the presence of other songs that pack more of a punch.

Ultimately, I have mixed feelings on Synchronicity. I love the B-side and would listen to it regularly on its own, but the A-side really drives down my opinion of this album as a cohesive work. Hence the album name, I call that irony at its finest.

AM I OBSESSED?

RATING:

PROBABLY NOT LISTENING AGAIN