In the early noughties, when each of the Spice Girls began releasing their respective solo projects, Emma Bunton was the surprise star. She released three solidly received albums, with a clutch of Top 20 singles. And she did it by serving up very few surprises: starting with her collaboration with production duo Tin Tin Out on What I Am in 1999, she largely stuck to adult contemporary, neo-soul ballads that your mum could get into, before moving into kitschy 1960s-style pop.
On My Happy Place, her first album in 13 years, Baby Spice sticks to her inoffensive formula. The album may as well be called My Comfort Zone. It’s eight covers of Bunton’s favourite songs, plus two originals that sound as if they could also be Motown-era covers. (Fans of her most bombastic single, 2003’s Maybe, might appreciate the sweet doo-wop style of Baby Please Don’t Stop and Too Many Teardrops.) The interpretations of songs from Norah Jones, the Beatles, and – yes – the Spice Girls are perfectly straight, apart from Bunton’s take on Madison Avenue’s Don’t Call Me Baby, which is stripped of its house beat. Will Young, Bunton’s partner Jade Jones, and Robbie Williams make nice enough cameos, but things take a turn for the saccharine with scripted skits featuring Bunton’s children.
It’s heartwarming to hear someone who has been through the mill of pop megastardom emerge so blatantly, straightforwardly happy. Unfortunately, with no drama or risks, it’s also incredibly dull.
