Mel B's debut solo album "Hot" was released in October 2000 - right before the release of the Spice Girls' "Forever" - and the producer lineup alone should have made it a classic. Missy Elliott, Sisqó, Teddy Riley, Fred Jerkins III, and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis were all collaborators. So why don't we talk about it?In this episode, Chris and Chantel Nicole give their honest track-by-track review of "Hot," breaking down the production, vocals, lyrics, and visuals on every track - from the UK #1 "I Want You Back" featuring Missy Elliott, to Top 5 singles "Tell Me" and "Feels So Good," to the deep cuts that never got their moment. We get into what works, what doesn't, and whether Scary Spice's solo debut holds up 25 years later.The album peaked at #28 on the UK Albums Chart and was certified Silver - but two of its singles cracked the Top 5. Was "Hot" an underrated Y2K R&B gem that got buried, or did the critics have a point? We have thoughts.Join us on Patreon!: https://www.patreon.com/CCTVPOPSFollow us on social media: https://linktr.ee/cctvpops
- 0:00 - Intro
- 0:28 - We met Mel B at the Ulta Beauty event for Revive Collagen
- 1:48 - "Hot" Album Info
- 3:21 - Album Cover
- 4:38 - "Feels So Good"
- 12:50 - "Tell Me"
- 20:48 - "Hell No"
- 25:23 - "Lullaby"
- 32:33 - "Hotter"
- 36:59 - "Step Inside"
- 43:07 - "ABC 123"
- 49:13 - "I Believe"
- 54:02 - "I Want You Back" feat. Missy Elliott
- 1:01:06 - "Pack Your Sh*t"
- 1:06:21 - "Feel Me Now"
- 1:13:10 - Cut or Keep
- 1:14:46 - Overall Thoughts & Final Rating
References:
- “Feels So Good” MV https://youtu.be/vxkVAMvwoQU?si=WMb2QB4aHy2OAce6
- “Feels So Good” Live at TOTP https://youtu.be/ISVwpW5fcrg?si=lcSXAqFQvRKZMVcM
- “Tell Me” MV https://youtu.be/pz5z57EzaIg?si=GqNOudqfBr_CPyCd
- “Tell Me” Live at TOTP https://youtu.be/WaMp77RThzw?si=1aLU66ZHJeI-V4K1
- “Lullaby” MV https://youtu.be/OwvUF_9WfwU?si=zbxrPp-_ZxUKezKi
- “Lullaby” Live at CD:UK https://youtu.be/_LK4JOsjT2I?si=NOEd3LdYnf5EqTvf
- “Hotter” AI Cover by Spicephonic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGVP4kZmZmI
- “I Want You Back” feat. Missy Elliott MV https://youtu.be/ZnV-16f-h64?si=ILXXKrYfUstHtdj3
- “I Want You Back” Live at TOTP https://youtu.be/bUwX_69mFpg?si=ec9qXUWQAvKsjTOP
00:00:00 --> 00:00:28 Oh yeah, feels so good, I'm loving you like I should. Yippee! Well, baby, here I am. This is CCTV, the nonstop pop show where we provide our unfiltered, honest opinions on global pop music. And we have done all the Spice Girls albums and B-sides, but it's time to delve more into their solo careers. Yeah. And now we're doing Mel B's Hot, which has just been released on vinyl for the very first time.
00:00:29 --> 00:00:44 menopause doesn't scare me. Oh, you don't need an intro. And if you're wondering what we're talking, if you're wondering what we're speaking of, we just saw Mel B at Ulta here in NYC. That's right. Yes.
00:00:44 --> 00:01:06 Yes, so we're just interrupting this album review. Don't worry, we're getting to it. Right. But we just wanted to share with everyone that we got to meet Mel B today, which is so cool. Here's some pictures of us with her. She was amazing. So nice. So fun. She even went behind the teller for a little bit. Yeah, they made her work. They made her work. She had to stack some shelves and we all just watched her.
00:01:06 --> 00:01:30 so we'll insert that and i told her i said what she's about selling stuff i said how about you sell your album hot sell that resell vinyls and she said thank you girl so yes you know we we plugged ourselves a little bit yes but she was so so nice i basically told her how much she means to me and how much spice girls have meant to me um what'd you say to her
00:01:30 --> 00:01:50 And I told her, I said, I love hotter. And she said, I love you, Alpha. I said, girl, thank you. I love you, Alpha. We talked about that. But I said, literally, I love hotter. Spoiler alert. But yes, so we did get to try the menopause collagen. Oh, yes. That's why I said menopause doesn't scare me. All right. Back to hot.
00:01:51 --> 00:02:13 Yes, that's right. And Hot is a debut solo album by Mel B, released October 2000, right before the release of the Spice Girls album, Forever, which we also did an album review for. So make sure you check that out after this video, along with our other videos. And to make the album, Mel B assembled an all-star roster of American R&B heavyweights, Rodney Jerkins,
00:02:13 --> 00:02:22 dog child teddy riley cisco and the jimmy jam and terry lewis duo the same team she was simultaneously working with on forever
00:02:23 --> 00:02:48 And the recording process was emotionally charged. Sessions began in 1999 amid the breakdown of her marriage to dancer Jimmy Galtzer. And she also began a relationship with Max Beasley. So Mel has said that Hot is, quote, like a documentary of all the things that I've been going through in the last two years. Hot peaked at number 28 on the UK Albums Chart and number 6 on the UK R&B Albums Chart, selling over 60%.
00:02:48 --> 00:03:16 60 copies and receiving a silver certification. But unfortunately, it was the only debut album from a Spice Girl that failed to crack the top 10 in the UK. So you will now dive into the production, vocals, visuals, and performances of each song and then drop our individual ratings and we want you to join us too. Drop your ratings in the comments for sure. Viewer discretion is advised. Your fave will be criticized. Yes.
00:03:20 --> 00:03:50 We're going to hop right into this album, but talk about the cover first because obviously it's being released on vinyl. So here we are with the iconic album cover. We have our desert yellow, a little blue, and then Mel C. Sorry. And then Mel B. On the desert with, is it not a beach, but like a shower in the middle of the desert? Yeah. Yeah. Go on, girl. She's hot. Yeah, she's very hot. And she's smiling, which is good. She looks really like smexy.
00:03:50 --> 00:03:59 She does. She looks great on this cover. Her body is giving. Yes, it is. You can see the tattoo. She's got rings.
00:03:59 --> 00:04:24 not as just like well this is happening i'm not getting the cover unfortunately though it sounds like the label didn't want to license the cover again because it's just being released on a picture vinyl uh this year so it's a leopard print picture vinyl with melanie b hot in in hot pink written on it instead um so yeah unfortunately they're not getting this cover on the vinyl
00:04:24 --> 00:04:50 Which is so lame. I was excited for that. Oh, man. It's a good picture. Yeah, it's a great picture. The whole, like, photo set from this, like, era, this photo shoot was, like, really cool. But, yeah, let's hop into this album. Let's talk about it and see if it's as hot as it looks. All right. Starting with Feels So Good, and it was done by Mel B, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis. And this is the second single from the album release of February 2001. And it hit number five in the U.K.
00:04:56 --> 00:05:15 Okay. Yes. I'm going to get all soft and smoochy. I'm going to get all soft and smoochy. Which is so cheesy. What a fun way to open the album. Yeah. I mean, classic Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis production here. We love them on this show. We love them on this show.
00:05:16 --> 00:05:35 Because we love Janet as well, of course. But yes, super lush. You get this really dynamic beat. These kind of soft trills and bells. The production, the track itself, is very, very good. I do think the vocal production here is done pretty well, too. It sounds super full with all the harmonies and the layers. And...
00:05:35 --> 00:06:03 They, especially compared to some of the other collaborators, I think Jimmy Jam and Terry knew how to use Melody's voice and tone well. Like the chorus sits right in her comfort zone. It feels effortless. It feels open. And then the verses, you know, they took full advantage of how low she can go and how deep she can get and how, like, she's so good when she sings in her kind of low tone. Yeah.
00:06:03 --> 00:06:30 Yeah, the chorus is catchy. It does feel good, you know? I like that first half of the bridge when it gets kind of funky with the bass line. So yeah, I definitely think this should have been the lead single off this project. Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Maybe more than another song, for sure. But yes. It's throughout the song a couple times. It is. I'm not mad at it, but it's just so funny.
00:06:31 --> 00:06:55 Because I was listening to it, one of my friends was like, oh, that's so cute. And I'm like, I'm glad you think it's cute. I think it was just a little... It is cute. But I don't think I would put it in an R&B song. But I guess that's what makes it a Mel B song. It's her personality in it. And when you have such well-known producers working on your album, you do want to have something that differentiates you from your, I guess, your production sisters. Because at this point, you could very easily...
00:06:55 --> 00:07:25 have something that sounds like someone else um the productions uh bell tolls i love that um the i love you baby like the repeated i love you baby in the beginning oh yeah i'm not mad at it but it kind of makes me laugh she's she is the whole all soft and smoochy she is that lady she really is even like now she's very soft and smoochy she is i appreciate that you know she is
00:07:26 --> 00:07:56 You know, and I feel like with me, though, with some of the notes that she does have, they are low, but maybe not low enough, I'd say, because like she does have a really nice low tone and her singing in that lower register with the rasp is really sexy.
00:07:56 --> 00:08:12 now I know, now I know. And it kind of sounds like she's not, I'm trying to figure, she's not, if you close your throat a certain way, you can stop a sound from coming, you know? But I don't know if she's doing that, or like, when she's singing throughout the verse, I hear like a, da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-
00:08:12 --> 00:08:39 And that's not the melody, but the concept is still the same. Where I know it's pretty stable. It falls apart because there's no support at the end. So it sounds like it's flat when it's not. And I'm not sure if you hear it, but there's something a little bit interesting about her voice. Where it's like, if you can get her vocal produced well enough, you have a solid member of a girl group. But solo, she's by herself. So you have to figure out how to work around it. And I think that was my biggest...
00:08:39 --> 00:09:07 like thing listening to her sing a little bit higher because i'm like is this almost too high and it's okay if you're a lower voiced person and it's like this is kind of high for me even tony's like when she sings you know breathe i breathe again um unbreak my heart she said that high part she said uh can she do it yes it's like she knows where she's so that's my only kind of complaint really but the song is fun i do agree and i do a really good job of not sounding too yes
00:09:07 --> 00:09:22 You know? For now. For now. We'll see as we go. Yeah. Well, what did you think of the music video? Because I did not like it. Oh, the sexy rapture? The sexy rapture where everyone's like, okay, so. Flash comes on. I was like, what the heck? And they're gone.
00:09:23 --> 00:09:51 Yeah, I was like, okay, so this Airbnb needs to be sanitized between visits. Oh. You know, because there's lots of different couples and throuples all in the same spot. Oh. I didn't fully understand the lights flashing. Are they just realizing that they're being watched? They're getting abducted. The lizard people! It's the lizard people! Oh. It's actually about the entertainment industry and how...
00:09:52 --> 00:10:06 Right. Dangerous it is. I will say it's interesting that her hair is straightened here because it is the third single and the other previous curly hair. We know her for the curly hair, you know? Yeah, yeah, yeah. So her having straight, like, bust-down energy...
00:10:06 --> 00:10:22 Interesting look. Yeah. She did have straight hair for I Want You Back as well. Okay. So, yeah. But this one is kind of just like typical like R&B video. And I was just like, oh, interesting. The point is it does take away from that. This is scary spice.
00:10:22 --> 00:10:40 Yes. You know, and I'm like, hmm, I don't dislike it, but also I'm just like, girl, let that be your thing. Let it ride. Also, can I just say, we didn't even fully talk about this because we mentioned it in the intro, but the fact that this was released a few weeks before Forever, they really screwed her over.
00:10:42 --> 00:11:11 This album, I mean, yeah. No, that's so weird. So weird. What's the label? Anyway, we know. But yes, the live performances are interesting because it's just like, it's just this weird, like, oh, hit my elbow. But that's what they do with the choreography. That's crazy. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, it's like a lot of like arms. Yeah. I wish it was a bit looser and groovier. Like there's like all these like jumps and stuff in there. Yeah.
00:11:11 --> 00:11:22 Feels so good! It's just like... Yeah, like I feel like it was a little more like in the hips and just kind of just like enjoying it a bit more. It's like sharp for no reason.
00:11:23 --> 00:11:47 like they're feeling hard for no reason maybe just more footwork yeah something that's just not so shoulder and elbow yeah and i watched a few performances so some some of them she had some female dancers some of them it was just all male dancers the female dancers they were feeling it they were smiling and they were like in it the male dancers though they did not want to be there or they were told to look cool and it was like so weird because it just didn't match the song
00:11:47 --> 00:12:04 Yeah, it's a lot of just missteps with this. But I will say Melby does have good stage presence. Yeah, she does. She does have a really good charisma on stage. Like, honestly, the best parts of these performances when she's just kind of vibing and bopping on her own.
00:12:04 --> 00:12:32 Yeah. Yeah. Not trying to, oh, yeah. That's so good. Yeah. With all the jumping. Oh, my God. Yes. I just love, like, when her voice is so, like, tame and then, like, her lip singing is so wide. Oh, yeah. It's so good. I'm like, go ahead, girl. That's committed. Committed for sure. Yeah, at least you know the mic is all. She might actually be sitting there. Oh, yeah. You know, like, Cheryl whispering in the mic. Oh, no. Love you, Chezza.
00:12:34 --> 00:12:59 Anyway. All right. I actually think this is a decent track. It kind of goes downhill from here. So I'll start high. Okay. I'll give it a nine. I actually think there's one song that should have been the single. That wasn't. And this is an eight for me. Okay. That one got a good score. Okay. All right. Next up is Tell Me. This was done by Rodney Jerkins, also known as...
00:13:00 --> 00:13:20 Dark job. Fred Jerkins III, Sean Johnson, and LaShawn Daniels. And this was released as the lead single from the album in September 2000, hitting number four in the UK singles chart. And lyrically, this is a direct address to ex-husband Jimmy Galtzer. And she said it's about when a relationship goes wrong.
00:13:27 --> 00:13:38 What a simple explanation. Yeah, pretty much. There's a lot of kooky production in the beginning. So shout out to the dark children. So you haven't watched our forever. Yeah.
00:13:38 --> 00:13:57 I forever review. We kept saying this jerkins, that jerkins, everyone's jerkins, right? So we were like the dark children. And it just became a thing. Like it's not. It's like no like dig at anyone. So like literally the dark children. If you say that, that's what it is, y'all. But yeah, so shout out to them again for making sure it doesn't sound like Brandy Light.
00:13:57 --> 00:14:13 Because it's tough, right? Because you have producers that have a very distinct sound. And it's like, how can you make it a little bit different? And it is maybe adding a little bit of kooky things that you wouldn't do with Brandy, that you wouldn't do with Destiny's Child, right? So...
00:14:13 --> 00:14:42 I love that there are full vocals in the chorus. She is someone who benefits from having, in my opinion, and that benefits from having layered vocals. You know what I'm saying? I mean, most singers, when they sing solo, do try to have like a lead, like one solo lead, like a little BGVs. But she is someone who could develop her sound using that, who could have rather. I keep talking like she's actually making this album now and she can make another one. She could, whatever. But the point is, her voice is a little bit thinner. She can get...
00:14:42 --> 00:15:10 full and warm yeah sure but that's when you're kind of pushing um and i think it is very interesting because her ad lives in the bridge um that is where you get a little bit of that push but she can do it i'm just trying to figure out like is it like hey go for the full belt or like kind of give me a mixed voice and i think if she's belting in her chest it's not bad when you start getting into that mix that blend i think maybe that's where it gets a little like
00:15:10 --> 00:15:40 But it does work for the song because she's frustrated. Like, all you loved was Mel B's money. Can you imagine someone dating you just for your money? I mean, it happens to people all the time. A lot of people complain about it. But for me, can you imagine being a celebrity, a superstar, one of the biggest superstars in the world, and then someone breaks you down? Oh, the disrespect. That's how we got lemonade, so whatever. But the point is, that stinks. And I think that, I see your plan, you're not my man. I can't remember.
00:15:40 --> 00:16:03 That I would say is the most jarring part because it's a little- I don't want you! Yeah! It's a little bit off beat, but it's so her. Because she yells. Not she yells, but her thing is, I'm going to shout. I'm going to give you energy. So I like, again, she's injected herself here. But it just feels a little bit off beat. I see your pen, you're not my men. I get from under my roof. I don't want you!
00:16:05 --> 00:16:35 Yeah, I mean, I think I agree with you there. It's fun. It does feel like Mel B, but it's a little awkwardly placed. I agree. Yeah, I have the same note about the production. Very funky. You kind of get these R&B strings, but then you get this like squishy sound. You know, and there's like shakers within the beat as well, which is interesting. So yeah, I can see why they went with this as the first single.
00:16:35 --> 00:16:51 very big in the press. So I think from a marketing side, you know, it's like it makes sense to play on it. Of course it was. He's a dancer. He was on the Spice World tour and they had a kid. You know, they had Phoenix together.
00:16:51 --> 00:17:19 I don't want to talk about your daddy like that, girl. But, like, I mean, that stinks that you have to... Same thing with Cheryl. The whole... Right. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So big because, you know... Right. So, yeah, I can see why they don't... Plus Stark Child, you know. So that's awesome to have him on there. Yeah, but the chorus, it's not bad. It's pretty catchy. I appreciate all the harmonies and all the ad-libs and stuff that go throughout. I will say, I do think there should have been a rap bridge. Yeah.
00:17:21 --> 00:17:48 That would have really amped it up a little bit because we kind of just get the pre-course again before those final courses. And it doesn't really go anywhere after that. So, yeah, not my favorite. Not my favorite. You know, I agree. I agree. But one thing I can say about this song is that the video is probably one of my favorite visuals I've seen a little while. It's very simple. Dancing with this, like, Asian-inspired car park. You know, maybe a car park. During the car park of a Chinese soup restaurant, I guess.
00:17:48 --> 00:18:11 Yeah, it's really cool. It's giving that whole vibe of like, you know, a car meet, you know. Are they racing? We don't know. But whoever wins gets to keep the pinks. You know, that kind of vibe. I like the neon thing. Even the colors, it just looks really fun. Like she's dancing and they have like that weird like Transylvania edit on it where it's like kind of bouncing. Yeah, yeah. I love that though. And yes, the red look is...
00:18:11 --> 00:18:37 that she wears in the bridge. Remember I was saying like, you know, she's hitting bigger notes here. Yeah. When she was wearing that red look, all I could think was, Balsamic vinegar, that's a big word for Elmo. That's a big note for her in this song. Have you seen that Balsamic vinegar? I have not. Oh my God. So you know that Elmo's voice was, his first voice was a Bronx native, right? Uh-huh. That man, he voiced Elmo for so many years. So he was like on a TV show and then he was like,
00:18:37 --> 00:19:02 Balsamic vinegar? That's a big word for Elmo. He got, he completely like, asked, forgot to code switch a little bit in the Elmo ways. Balsamic vinegar? That's a big word for Elmo. So the reason I bring that up is because that's a big note in this bridge. And then also she was wearing red. So I was just like, oh my God, that's a big word for Elmo. I'm gonna say that a couple times for this album. I don't expect her to belt.
00:19:02 --> 00:19:31 I don't think anyone does, right? So if I say it's a big word for Elmo, is that an insult? It's just more like the red made me think, oh, wow, she doesn't do that. So I do appreciate the whole moment where she's like, you know, I'm a singer too. The action is so bad. I'm so sorry. I mean, she did do some ad-libs and stuff in the Spice Girls stuff. Not as much, but she did get some little moments here. So I think for me, it's maybe not as jarring. Think about like too much. She's not hitting that bridge, you know?
00:19:32 --> 00:19:50 Okay, well, yeah. Like, things like that. This is like a full-on, like, she's giving you the, not just like a moment. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's a big word for Elmo, you know? Okay, yeah, yeah. I did enjoy, in addition to the dance scenes, her crawling on the floor. Very effective. Wait, laying down scenes?
00:19:51 --> 00:20:04 No, there's parts in the same setting as the dance scene where she's just like crawling on the floor. Oh, yes. Yeah, yeah. I didn't love the bed scene. Didn't really make sense in context of the song. And then the weirdest part is where she's just like getting felt up by all her male dancers.
00:20:06 --> 00:20:27 I get what they were trying to do, but it's a bit weird. But these guys, too. Yeah. Performance-wise, the choreo's okay. It's better musicality than feels so good, for sure. And I think she's able to keep up with the dancers. Yes. Again, I like the outfit that she was wearing, the little bra. I mean, I don't expect women to snap back.
00:20:27 --> 00:20:55 But for someone who had just had her baby, the marriage, and all the other things that was going on in her life and preparing for this album, her abs are a thing of beauty. And I'm not going to—she seems like she worked hard for them. Yeah. So I will give her credit where credit's due. Tiana Taylor who? All right. So I give this one 7.5. I'll give this one a 7. Up next is Hell No. And this was done by Cisco and Al West.
00:21:01 --> 00:21:13 Yes, except it's not that type of hell no. It's hell no, hell no. Oh, you're right. It's not a sassy hell no. A sleeper agent was activated. What can I say?
00:21:15 --> 00:21:43 I mean, Cisco. That's cool. Get Cisco on the album. Yeah. The track itself, kind of typical, kind of snexy R&B track with the piano and the guitar and the synths on top. The really heavy kind of bass drum there. The melody, also kind of very classic kind of R&B melody there. But the lyrics, interesting. The Hooch's Pictures and the Drew Hill CD. That is wild. I'm just like.
00:21:45 --> 00:22:05 Like, yeah, can I just say, I'm really sad that Mel B didn't write much of this album. She didn't even write Tell Me. Like, yes, maybe they knew about the situation, so they wrote for her. But I don't know.
00:22:06 --> 00:22:16 It's not her. No. It's not her. And I mean, maybe it is her. Maybe, you know, you can get me all a soft and smooch thing. It's who she is. But she wrote that one. The...
00:22:19 --> 00:22:37 Never knew, never knew. Now I know, now I know. I'm not in love with that either, but I do wish we could have heard something like this with her writing. Yeah. Lyrically speaking, I'm going to be honest with you guys, as a songwriter, wasn't impressed with a lot of it, but
00:22:38 --> 00:22:56 But I think it's just the whole, like, I'm not trying to sound like my girl group, but, like, you won't because there's no Biff. You're not going to sound like your girl group. Well, Biff shows up at a B-side. Eventually, yeah, yeah. But that's the thing. Actually, he does show up with one song, actually, yeah. Welcome back for a second. But, yeah, I mean...
00:22:57 --> 00:23:26 Oof, the intro, super typical, like, you know, like the 90s. Before you leave, I've got something to say. Listen to me. See, I'm getting better with my accent, y'all. You are. Come a long way. But yeah, the spoken intros and R&B songs, we love that. And I like that the lyrics are just kind of like, Mel B is the one who's lying and was being unavailable. I think I appreciate that. I will also mention that I cannot stand the demo singer slash BVs that are on BGVs on this, because I'm just like,
00:23:26 --> 00:23:46 There's so much of this other person. I'm just like, who is this? You know? It gets worse later on. I know. I won't. Oh, God. But I was like, who it is? Who it is? I let it go. Because sometimes there are some moments where the background singers sound not like the same. Okay, whatever. Yeah. It was almost too different. Because the timbre of her voice is so...
00:23:46 --> 00:24:11 warm and low and and it kills me that these producers outside of you know jimmy jam and terry lewis on occasion didn't figure out how to encourage her to sing in a lower tone like maybe she doesn't want to be compared to mootia who was like killing it at the time but like t-boss has a low voice same raspy kind of thing and they layer it and it sounds so yummy especially a song like this yeah
00:24:11 --> 00:24:33 You know? But yeah, the lyrics, hell no, hell no, I won't let you go. Leave, won't let you leave me this time, no. Hell no, hell no, don't act like you never lied to me. Hell no, my actions are not justified. Remember the nights I cried, so hell no, you can't leave me this time. I could do without that. Not the healthiest relationship.
00:24:33 --> 00:24:57 No. And then the fact that it's like, you can't leave. If a guy said this to me, hello, police. Like the call is coming from inside the house immediately. You can't leave. I get the sentiment where it's like, you can't leave. But come on. Come on. Come on, y'all. If you're a significant other, it was like, you can't leave. You know what I'm doing? Leaving. So, yeah, I do appreciate. I do appreciate the big note. The hand up.
00:24:57 --> 00:25:19 you know like the again that's a big no for elmo so shout out shout out to cisco for writing that in i think her vocal delivery is actually not bad here she does sound quite delicate pretty sincere you know yeah so i appreciate that for sure so she she did what she could i guess with the song but the song itself is just not for me
00:25:20 --> 00:25:27 Yeah, not like her begging. It's a six. Six for me, too. Okay. All right. Speaking of Biff...
00:25:28 --> 00:25:50 We're now at Lullaby. And this was done by Mel B, Fred Jerkins III, Mr. Dexter, Julian Gallagher, and Richard Biff Stannard. And this was written as a tribute to Mel B's daughter, Phoenix. This was released as the third single from the album in June, 2001, peaking at number 13 in the UK singles chart with the music video filmed in Morocco.
00:25:56 --> 00:26:17 I like the production, the bells and the tambourine makes the song sound innocent and sweet, which I do like. I like the lyrics on the, I think the second verse where she says this first time I looked at you on that Friday afternoon, your eyes are all wondering who I am and who are you. I don't want children, but I can understand...
00:26:19 --> 00:26:45 That beauty of making something and then looking at it and being like, oh, my gosh. Wow. Like, oh, that's mine. And it lives and it breathes and it's in it. Oh, my. I love you. You know, like that is really sweet, you know. So I appreciate the song on the album because being a parent is a huge change. You know, I get the sentiment, but it does get a little cheesy, a little bit cheesy.
00:26:45 --> 00:27:06 But I think that's not completely her fault because, like, I don't know if there's any, like, amazing parent pop songs or, like, family pop songs aside from, like, Isn't She Lovely by Stevie Wonder and We Are Family by Sister Sledge. I might be missing a few. But, like, I mean, the ones that make you want to kind of like, yeah, girl. Not the I love you. You're my baby girl. Not that.
00:27:06 --> 00:27:31 You know what I'm saying? Like, I don't want that. Make me shake. Make me, you know, like formation. Beyonce was like, you know, like my baby and my baby hair afro. She says, Azul, can you hear me? And you know, she mentioned that baby. The song is a hit. It's a popping song. I'm not saying you have to do that, but if you're going to put it on the album. Not even put it on the album. Also release it as a single. Oh, right. And release it as a single. Yeah.
00:27:31 --> 00:27:57 Yeah. Because the baby, I mean, I don't know how it is for, like, back in the day, but was it, like, a huge thing for, like, a celebrity to have a baby back then? Was it a huge thing? Yeah, because, like, Britney having her, like, Beyonce announcing, like, that was huge. Yeah. You slow down, but, like, Mel B and Spice Girls was, like, we're waiting for you to settle down. Was it giving that? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, that explains the release then. Okay. Okay.
00:27:58 --> 00:28:21 Okay. I mean, I appreciate the love that she has for her children, but I don't think this should have been like a single just because she wanted. But hey, it's your life. You want to proclaim your love to your child. I get it. I'm not going to bash her for that. You're perfect. Yeah. Yeah. I think the song is sweet. I like the melody itself a lot, actually. You said a little bit cheesy. I say extremely cheesy, though, lyrically.
00:28:21 --> 00:28:47 But yeah, I agree with you. I think the production's done really well. There's kind of like these high bells and the guitars and stuff. They feel very warm, very light. And Mel B's execution as well. Again, very warm here. But she sounds like she's singing with a smile, you know, the whole time. Aw, yes. But I'm going to be honest. Doesn't do much for me. I can see why it was a single, actually. Because I think it just shows a different side.
00:28:47 --> 00:29:07 to her, you know, because I think she is known as Scary Spice and kind of the intense one, so I think to see her and hear her on a song like this is different. I was reading some old press and stuff just to see. Honestly, people just weren't here for her at this time, I think. I think it was the whole Spice Girls
00:29:08 --> 00:29:26 group was just it was just all oversaturated you know it was kind of like the backlash was happening you know we should do a pop 101 that's the only thing we haven't done yes and it's our 30th anniversary and they're not reuniting so we might as well make content for them that's right we did do a cover of holler
00:29:27 --> 00:29:43 We did. To find out at CCTV pops on all social media to find out. I'm not gonna tell you what kind of cover, but we did cover. There you go. But yeah, I was reading some old press and people were like, well, she's using her children to like try and, you know.
00:29:43 --> 00:30:11 See? Oh, man. She had good intentions, but that stinks. That's such a hot, nice thing to say. Yeah. I thought the music video was very sweet, though. Especially the home videos of her with Phoenix at the beginning, and then they're at the house together at the end. I wish there was a goal for her when she was walking through Morocco. She was buying gifts for her daughter. I felt like it needed a reason for her to be walking around a little bit. Otherwise...
00:30:12 --> 00:30:41 It was a decent video. I blame Michael Jackson for that. They don't care about us. He was just walking around, just dancing in the streets. I blame him. Everyone was like, oh, he's doing it. So we can just have no endgame. Well, they're just like, we're in Morocco. So we're just going to walk around. I'm joking, y'all. Please don't take it that serious. He's an icon. I know. That's why everyone copied the video. Yeah.
00:30:41 --> 00:31:09 Oh, yes, that's right. Before I forget, we do have to talk about the performances. I almost forget. But the reason I'm kind of like, oh, yeah, it's because I don't really care for the performances too much. I love the pink shirt that she's wearing. And, like, we were watching this one specific live performance. But, like, something about it just doesn't feel super connected. And I'm just like, I was kind of over it. Like, it's sweet. The background vocalists are there. It's just, yeah, no. I wasn't. No. No.
00:31:09 --> 00:31:32 So she did sing this live on some promo shows. Yes. But it was surprisingly rough, I will say. Because actually, if you watch the Spice Girls tours and stuff, she's very stable. She has good pitch. Yeah. She is a good performer, as you mentioned earlier. So she's kind of just giving it. So the energy and everything combined kind of, it's good. And even in the ballads and stuff, she sounds great. Yeah.
00:31:32 --> 00:31:58 This one, though, I don't know, it just didn't feel very confident. Like, it was all very soft. But she's almost scared each time a line was coming in. You know what I mean? I don't know. It was very odd to watch. But again, given the context of, you know, the album didn't do too well. Yeah. This was kind of the last attempt to kind of help, you know, try to get her up there. It didn't work. So, you know, maybe she did lose her confidence here, so.
00:31:58 --> 00:32:19 Okay, that was, okay, that was playing a lot because I just didn't, I didn't feel like I wanted to like watch it any longer because I'm like, I do like her, like, you know, but I just, I didn't feel connected. And it's not because it's about a child. I think this song is completely fine in terms of children's songs, parent, proud parent song, but it just, I wasn't connecting with the performances really. Yeah. All right. So what do you rate it?
00:32:21 --> 00:32:43 A 6.5. I mean, it's not that bad. It's not a 6.5. I'll do a 6.5. It's not my favorite. Okay. But it's not as bad as the ones I actually give a 6. I'll give this one a 7. Okay. I will match the 7. Up next is Hotter, and this was done by Cisco and Al West.
00:32:48 --> 00:33:09 Okay, so Cisco, this is better. Mr. Cisco. Mr. Cisco. Because finally, if something a little bit cooler, it's sexy, it has a bounce to it. The chorus is very strong. It's simple and catchy, but there are a ton of different layers and stuff. I was looking at some fan comments and they were like, is that Emma in the background vocal? But it's not.
00:33:09 --> 00:33:28 I think it is, you know, one of the BGVs just kind of sounds like her a little bit. I will say, though, I know there's some people hate the kind of AI covers that people have been making. Someone did make a Spice Girls AI cover of this, and it sounded really good. And it was like, dang, this could have been on forever.
00:33:34 --> 00:33:56 Because all the harmonies and stuff, you know? Oh, wow. It was like, oh. I mean, I like the song. So, I didn't know that. I will say, though, I wish that Breach was done with more of a full belt. It feels a bit restrained. And I'm like, ooh, if you just kind of growled that and made it a bit throatier, it would have made such a bigger impact and really taken it somewhere. But overall...
00:33:56 --> 00:34:18 This is such a strong song for this album. Verse two. I love verse two where it kind of takes you somewhere different to get a bit more urgent there. So, yeah, this is one that I would happily actually go back to listen to. Yes, this is one I wish would have been a single, the first single. I mean, yeah, for me, it's like.
00:34:19 --> 00:34:44 If you are someone who has an image, lean into it, snag the people, and then do the switch. Don't try to switch. I'm different. Don't worry about that right now. You know what I'm saying? Like, Britney, for example, had the whole schoolgirl thing. I mean, don't get me wrong. There's some issues with that. I have as well. But she was young, so it made sense. So when she did, oops, I did it again, it was kind of giving you baby, baby, baby voice still. It was okay. Okay.
00:34:44 --> 00:35:04 By the time you get to In the Zone, she is not giving you that. By the time you get to Britney, even, it is, who is that girl, you know? So, or like, I was born to make you happy. Like that one, too. I just like that song, though. Okay. But it's just one of those songs that I wouldn't release as the first song. Right. Right.
00:35:04 --> 00:35:26 Maybe if you're Jessica Simpson, yeah? Because she has that whole, like, you know, wholesome vibe. At the time, she had a whole host. Or Mandy Moore. You know what I'm saying? That could be their vibe. But for her, you are the energetic one. You are hot. Everyone looks at you like a force. Your album's called Hot. Even if you didn't know it was going to be Hot, this is a great title. Because who's hotter than you? Thank you.
00:35:26 --> 00:35:47 right now than the Spice Girls. I do like the plucky synths. The synth bass, super highlight for me. The fast singing seems to suit Mel's voice more. I don't get that out of breath feel from this track. And the lyrics, bum real tight, up top, mad thick, independent chick. She's hot. I love that. Cisco was like,
00:35:47 --> 00:36:09 I find you attractive. Here's a lyric. It's the same thing with Robbie and Kylie on kids. Like, come on. Who wasn't crushing on Kylie? And they have a track with her. Obviously, it sounds like a Robbie song. But having them both on it, super hot. You know what I'm saying? Can you imagine if Cisco was on it? It would be a super hot moment. It could have been something as well. It could have been a single. There's so many opportunities with this one song. Yes. Yes.
00:36:09 --> 00:36:25 And I like songs like this because the girlies are challenging the listener. Can you make me hot? It's giving loosen up my buttons. Allow me to break the ice, et cetera. She's not impressed by your loads of money. She wants your sticky honey. Okay? Oh, yeah.
00:36:26 --> 00:36:52 Welcome to CCTV, did not stop pop show. We're dirty. But yes, that instrumental loop in the middle, I would say I wish it would have been like some vocal breaks. Like something that kind of like, not just the production, because let me get the freaking chorus looped over and over again at the end. Oh God, the whole that looped choruses have on the night needs to be steady. But yeah, something to spruce it up. But aside from that, I really do like this song. And it would have been the first single. So.
00:36:53 --> 00:37:22 Or it's one of the singles. Yeah. So, that being said, Fat Nine, this is my name. That's fair. I'll go 8.5. Next is Step Inside, done by Max Beasley and Henry Binns. And Max Beasley was the man that she started seeing at this point. Um, do you like Max in her lore? Mm-hmm.
00:37:24 --> 00:37:45 better than some other people okay okay all right um i'm better than eddie jerk and the other one oh jesus yeah she's like j-lo don't worry y'all i mean she found someone her makeup or a hairstyle no a hairstyle let's look at her i'm not gonna lie i look at that man i was like
00:37:47 --> 00:38:13 but you know i'm i'm here for mel's happiness yes also here for her quirkiness which this song does present and i appreciate that a lot um because this song is strange it's it's it's um it's jade's don't go into that room with the lock and the key and the mouse and that you know it's a creepy pop you know
00:38:15 --> 00:38:31 If you guys haven't listened to our new shades album, the deluxe version of that show, this baby, the encore, please watch that. Cause there is a song called don't go to that room. No, something house straight. Oh, guys. I'm not going to lie to you.
00:38:32 --> 00:38:56 I legit forgot the title of the song because I literally just don't go into that room with the lock and the key. The song is better than what I'm singing it as. If my heart was a house. Okay. If my heart was a house. Man, don't go into that room. And then meanwhile, Mel B is like, okay, fine. Step inside. Yes, exactly. I appreciate. But you'll never leave. You'll never get out of that room again.
00:38:56 --> 00:39:21 Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. It's better than freaking Nasty Ghetto. You get Sugar Bay's Nasty Ghetto. Would you want to step inside like a haunted, you know? Well, I think I might be able to survive the Nasty Ghetto. This one? Oh, yeah. I don't know. I think she said the Black Widow is here. I think I'd be done for it. Oh, you were. Okay, Nasty Ghetto it is. Sugar Bay's homeless. Oh, so...
00:39:22 --> 00:39:45 So guys, if you do not know what we're talking about, Nasty Ghetto is a track on Sugar Babes' third album, Three. And we did a review of that, so watch that. Back to this production. Music box, creepy, feels like an episode of Scooby-Doo, but like the R&B versions. Instead of like the Hex Girls, it's, you know, Mel B. And I do appreciate the spooky sound. There's a synth that sounds like a ghost. There's some...
00:39:46 --> 00:40:16 some oohs in the pre-hook. But yeah, I feel like this song would've benefited from Mel's lower register. Like just creepy alto goodness, you know? And then the interlude with her speaking over like before the string part. Yeah. Love that part. It's so fun. Yeah, lower voice is better than like, I think I might, you know, you know, eat off with your head. As opposed to off with your head is different, you know? It is, it is. I'm sure you have that.
00:40:16 --> 00:40:34 I can agree with you. This one's at least memorable on the album. I appreciate the experimentation. It's not my favorite, though. I will say, like, the chorus is creepy, but I feel like it's not, like...
00:40:35 --> 00:41:02 can't be enough. I don't know. It's like almost taking itself too seriously a little bit. And then some of the lyrics are just like, what? Like, shallow grave is all you'll see. Oh. Like, that's the chorus. You know? That's valid. Shallow grave is all you'll see. So I kind of wish it was a bit more... I assume it's supposed to be like a sexy thing. Yeah.
00:41:02 --> 00:41:29 But instead, I like kind of what we were saying. Like, I don't want to step inside. Come inside. No, I'm good. See you later. There is a really weird off pitch. I'll come for your mind. Oh, the bending. That note bending that she's doing. Yeah, I really didn't like that. Yeah, it's fun. So, yeah. Again.
00:41:29 --> 00:41:56 At least this one's memorable. But do I like it? No. I think it's okay. I just don't like the vocal production. I like a little creepy crazy. Yeah. I have Junji Ito books. You know what I'm saying? Like the whole swirl face. Like it's, you know. So I give it a seven. Okay. Yeah. Okay. I'll give it a six. How dare you? Are there Quinn stories that you listen to that are like this?
00:41:59 --> 00:42:26 no no i don't think they really have any creepy creepy ones um um they have different types of episodes um but they don't have like a creepy unless i just haven't found it but like there are some artists that i went on there specifically for and then some celebrities i went on there specifically for but like i know i don't delve too too much okay dipsy might have it there's another audio called dipsy
00:42:27 --> 00:42:44 Okay. Yeah. Listen, I got to get my kicks on Route 66, okay? You can have a different man in every city if you wanted to. Exactly. Oh, wait. I'm going on tour, y'all. But, you know. I'm not that kind of girl. I'm not. Well, I am such an innocent girl. Oh, we're going to be right.
00:42:44 --> 00:43:08 If you're not innocent and you like to get down and you're enjoying this episode so far, you can follow us, Chris and I, everywhere at CCTV Pops. And if you want to hang out with us even more unfiltered, because I wore a harness on one of these episodes for Patreon, you can join us there and the CCTV crew for exclusive live sessions and the ability to help us pick future episode topics at patreon.com slash cctvpops. Cctv Pops.
00:43:08 --> 00:43:30 That's right. Okay. Let's continue with the album. We have ABC 123 done by Teddy Riley, Screwface, and Karen Anderson. And Screwface is the person doing the rap, but he is not noted as a full feature. So. I wonder how much he took off the top for that.
00:43:34 --> 00:43:48 So Screwface is, I think I told you about the Monifa song. Do you really want to touch it? Do you really want to touch it? I don't know that one, I don't think. Listen, my older sister had you listen to the things, like how many licks. I was in the car talking about some. Oh, well, that one, no. No.
00:43:49 --> 00:44:18 Yeah, yeah, yeah. My sister, cool girl, you know, super cool. That's why I know so much. But she would play Monifa on this CD, and there was a guy's voice in the beginning. Jumped up from the co-ed house. All you want to do is make you bounce. I think it was Screwface. My point is, he's not featured either, but his voice is definitely on that track. So I think it's his thing. Okay. But yeah, aside from, you know, us not realizing who he was until he came, who the heck is singing on this?
00:44:20 --> 00:44:49 That's Karen. That's Karen Anderson. You mean the Janet demo singer? Yeah, I was getting, like, J-Lo mixed with Janet a little bit with her tone. I mean, if you think about Teddy Riley, I think he was, like, writing things for Janet. You know, like, it was, like, I Guess a Lonely, the Boyfriend song. He kind of was in that bad, I feel. You know, like, with Britney and Pharrell. Like, Britney was writing for Janet, but then was like, you want to say for you? You want boys? Like, you know, which is fine. But the point is, I was just like...
00:44:49 --> 00:45:08 this don't taste like mel this is who is this you know i know i literally have my notes wait who's el am i listening to because this got mel b right i was working in the office and i was just like digity digity you know you gotta stop yeah wait what's happening
00:45:09 --> 00:45:36 I wonder what was the conversation like? Was it like, we've ran out of time, let's go record forever? Like, what is the conversation for this? Well, Karen shows up a few more times on this album. What were the conversations? Yeah. It's weird. It is weird. Like, she doesn't get to sing the chorus at all. Like, it's not even layered. Yeah. It's literally just Karen. That's why I'm trying to figure out how this got through. Because it leaves with, like...
00:45:36 --> 00:45:55 With J-Lo, you could argue that Ashanti, when singing a demo, J-Lo could hit those notes. Yes. Even for play. Even you know it's Christina Milian. You're like, I could believe that's her to a certain extent. Yeah.
00:45:55 --> 00:46:16 Yes, J-Lo's also layered in there. Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. This is just very much disconnected. And even if it wasn't, I'd say like the melody of the chorus is not that strong because the melody never changes. That rule of three is very important with songwriting. Like the repetition of the notes make it feel so mind-numbing. It's like da-da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da.
00:46:16 --> 00:46:46 da da da da da da da da da da that's what i would do i mean on the third one i would change it but like literally abc one two three abc one two three as annoyed as you're probably getting that's how i felt listening to this because i was like why didn't you change the note but this is something that should have been worked on with the artist is someone singing a demo is to give you a guide not for you to leave it up there so that when you put the album out it sounds like a demo vocalist
00:46:46 --> 00:47:11 highlights are i like the lyrics you took control and set me free even though i had i still reached out for more like moments like that i do appreciate you know it's so easy to love me all you got to do is just love me vibes but aside from that i just think just certain steps were skipped which is why the melody suffers because i don't think mel would have did that
00:47:12 --> 00:47:22 Yeah, like, I wonder if they'll be either they were just like, Mel, you don't sound good singing this chorus. So we're doing keep the demo vocal on, which is weird.
00:47:23 --> 00:47:50 Or it's just like a production choice where it almost makes it feel like you have a feature on the album or a feature on the song, but you don't. You know what I mean? Like just to kind of give it another voice. Because like I said, Karen shows up a few more times. It's not just this song. Karen shows up on the rest of the album, not a few more times. Yeah. And so, yeah, it's clearly a creative choice. Like did Teddy do this with other people?
00:47:52 --> 00:48:19 We should look into it because it's giving Cece Music Factory. Everybody dance now. And it's not her. You know? But yeah, I'm not mad at the melodies on this. I mean, on the verses mostly. It feels pensive. I appreciate it. Production has kind of typical R&B elements here. But it has this kind of twang to it, which is kind of interesting as well. I will say I don't love the screw face rap.
00:48:19 --> 00:48:46 What? You know, like the random dancehall rap? I can't have to do that. I was like, oh, how are you about to do this? No, my sister would drag me to Phil. Because she is pretty good. She would drag me. You'd be like, what the hell is that? Okay, so the song itself is relatively smooth, you know, and then he comes in with his energy. Yeah, it just doesn't match. And I was like, okay, was that written for this song? Yeah.
00:48:47 --> 00:49:15 You know what? Can you imagine if Leanne was like combing through like old stuff and was like, I want to remake this song. It would make sense because Leanne is in this bag of Caribbean life, you know? You know, Caribbean, however you say. I don't know because I have like the American way of saying it. But the whole point is I want to see a song like this with Leanne would make sense. You know? But. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Well, in this form, I give it a 5.5. Six for me. It's okay. I just don't like that random woman. Well, she comes back very soon.
00:49:16 --> 00:49:31 Very soon. She's the next track. Exactly. All right. Next we have I Believe, done by Teddy Riley, Karen Anderson, Rich Lightning, and Richard Fauntleroy. And this sample someday will be together by The Supremes.
00:49:36 --> 00:49:49 Okay, this is the Janet demo. You can't convince me otherwise. Together again, China love. Songs like that, that's her vibe. And of course, the bright timbre of Karen's voice...
00:49:51 --> 00:50:17 leans itself to Janet stinking Jackson. Okay. I'm just saying stinking cause I'm just saying stinking, but I do like the production of the song. Like I wonder if impossible princess era Kylie would have like, like this song or like ghost era Siobhan without one, you know, like a 12 mile bar song that she has. Like it's a very quirky kind of production, which I'm starting to notice seems to be a very, like a British random track thing. Yeah.
00:50:18 --> 00:50:43 So therefore, I've acclimated myself to the strangeness of it. It's hitchhiker pop, you know? I'm not saying the right melody, but the point is, it just feels like you're on a desert road, tumbleweeds, lizards, you know, tank top, maybe like a shirt hanging on the hook of your finger because you're looking, think Nomi Malone without the drama.
00:50:43 --> 00:51:00 Or with it, whatever. But yeah, I think I like the sentiment of finding love again and the renewal of faith in someone and feeling like they're heaven sent is special. Especially when you know what she's been through. It makes sense. It's like, are you happy yet?
00:51:00 --> 00:51:18 Oh, okay, good, good, good, good, good, good, good. You found love with this man. What's his name? Max Beasley. Good for you. So maybe that's like that kind of, she has a moment here where it could be that way. So she makes it feel like it's a transcendental experience finding your person and she believes in him.
00:51:18 --> 00:51:37 Okay, I get that as a sentiment, yes. Yeah, that's why it sounds so like chanty, like Burning Man vibe, like TPs and outpouts and such. You do get some DJ scratches for the transitions, though. Right. And this man-baby noise.
00:51:38 --> 00:52:07 as well baby noises crazy work yeah um yeah i don't like this very much um i think melodically just not for me the verses are fine but that chorus i believe in my baby and then the say say it again like i don't i don't really want you to say it again like i just never went anywhere else like like give me something else you know um
00:52:09 --> 00:52:18 I don't know what else to say. I was kind of just ready for the song to be done. Halfway through it, I was just like, how much longer is this song?
00:52:19 --> 00:52:44 Oh, I can't lie. That repeated chorus situation at the end, I was like... Well, also, the track is just on a loop as well. Yeah. That is... Oh. Yeah. I mean, have you ever done peyote? Or any kind of psychedelical situations? Mm-hmm. Me either. I was just asking. You ever had a Krispy Kreme? Was it Krispy? You know, I was just asking. Just asking. But I think that was...
00:52:45 --> 00:53:05 I think that was a whole point to make it feel like it's a love trip, you know? Your cognitive, your psychedelic function runs on autopilot because you're in such love with somebody. You know what I'm saying? Your face, he's not jiving. He's not jiving. No, this song is not for me. Also, it has the least streams on this album on Spotify.
00:53:06 --> 00:53:35 You guys aren't enlightened. You're not tapping into that third eye or that third hole. I can do that with a better song than this. I know, but tap into your third hole, then. Not your third eye. Tap into your third hole. You know, like. Third hole. Hey, some people only got two. Figure out what the third one's going to be. That's up to you. Tap into it. Okay? That being said, what do you rate this song, this third hole song? A four? Okay. This is not for me. I don't need to hear this ever again.
00:53:36 --> 00:54:04 Oh, I haven't heard that sentence in a while. You guys should find the episode where Chris says it. It's so funny. I don't ever, ever want to, I won't choose to. He was going, it was like our early episodes. It was so funny. Okay. So for me, this one is, you said a lot of things that made me change. I'll give it a 5.5. I had it at a six, y'all. I'll give it a 5.5. But you said something. I was like, okay. Okay. Okay. Yeah. Okay.
00:54:05 --> 00:54:29 All right, y'all. Up next is I Want You Back featuring Missy Elliott. And this was done by Donald Holmes, Gerard Thomas, and Missy Elliott. And this was released as a single in September 1998 for the Why Do Fools Fall in Love soundtrack. And this peaked at number one on the UK singles chart, making Missy Elliott the first female rapper to ever reach number one in the UK.
00:54:35 --> 00:54:58 Okay. Now, we talked about this during our pop-off, right? We did. Yes. I don't know if your sentiment was super negative, but... No. Okay, neither of us were super negative. I don't think so. I think I liked it a little bit more than you did. Yep. Probably so. I will say, in the context of this album, this was refreshing to hear.
00:55:00 --> 00:55:15 Because the track is cool. I love the violin stabs with this super heavy beat. I love the wiry alien sounds. I think we both agreed that the chorus isn't the strongest. It's a bit monotone. I think I want to do that.
00:55:16 --> 00:55:32 I know they sound wet. It's a love light crack. She's not saying that, but basically. Yeah, and it doesn't really go anywhere, but I think as a song, there is kind of, I don't know, it's kind of a cool vibe to it. It kind of fits...
00:55:33 --> 00:55:55 kind of where a lot of what Missy Elliott was doing too. So I'm kind of like not mad at that. And I think the verses are pretty dynamic. Like Melby's execution is good. Especially in the second verse, there's an attitude there. And there is a build too. Like we get a little harmony stack in the final chorus and the bridge as well. I will say, I do wish Missy did an actual rap.
00:55:56 --> 00:56:23 Oh, you didn't like an intro. I don't count that. Oh, okay. You know, that was just an intro, right? And it was with Mel B. Like, I want a full, you know, couple eight counts of Missy doing her thing. Such a dancer. 16 bar. Yeah. But she kind of just vamps at the end as well. Yeah. Yeah. I think we both complained about that last time, right? Yeah. Yeah. That's actually really funny, though. I thought you'd mention it. She really did a rap.
00:56:24 --> 00:56:50 No. At all. You know, I may have said this during our pop off, but if I did, whatever, I'll say it again. And if I didn't. I mean, it was like four years ago. So. Exactly. So, y'all, Nicole Ray's Make It Hot also came out in 1998. And Nicole Ray's voice sits right down here. My voice does not go that low. Okay. I know what I said. Right. Mel B.
00:56:51 --> 00:57:08 Could have done that a little bit. She does it a little bit here in the verses. Sure, sure, sure, sure, sure. But like the chorus is, I got what's just a little bit brighter. I got what you want, got what you need. I think I want you back. What the hell happened? Why couldn't you create like this?
00:57:08 --> 00:57:36 Well, I think it's supposed to sound kind of robotic and I don't know. I'm not mad at the chorus. I think I want you back. Oh, hang on. I think I want. Yeah. I think it's too high. Maybe it's too high. I don't know. But maybe it's not bright enough. But there's something a little bit strange. It takes me out. And I think that's the biggest thing. Because she has the spunk. She has the attitude. I mean, the whole production was so misdemeanor. But that chorus was not her. She doesn't write choruses like that.
00:57:36 --> 00:57:56 She'd think about it. Me, I'm super fla, super duper fla. You know, she put a sample there. She's a, you know, she wasn't riding, even with Aaliyah, one in a million, she wasn't riding courses like this. I'm trying to figure out what happened. She was experimenting, okay?
00:57:57 --> 00:58:24 I guess so. I guess. I guess it was like Mentos and Coke experimenting. I don't care for it. It was like, whatever. But yeah, I think aside from that, like the song is, it grew on me a little bit more. I just don't like that chorus. I think I want you back. Yeah. And it might sound whack. I don't. Yeah. It's not, you know. It makes it seem less cool. But what does make the song seem cooler is the music video. Oh, yeah. It looks so good. Yeah. Yeah.
00:58:24 --> 00:58:45 Oh my god. So I get the number one, right? This is kind of like, ooh. Yeah, first solo Spice Girls song too. Right, and hotter should have came right after, at least. Mm, fair, fair, fair. But yeah, I do like this. The scenes where she was holding that man hostage. Get him. That might be Jimmy. Oh, well then lock him up. Throw him under the jail.
00:58:46 --> 00:59:13 under the jail. Oh, but yeah, you know? Oh, I found my handcuffs. But yeah, I think that's sweet. That's sweet. I think that's kind of like cool. And then the scenes where the Sentai men, like the Sentai suit men, still don't care for it, but I can appreciate it. I'm saying appreciate a lot in this episode because I need y'all to understand if I'm criticizing, it doesn't mean I don't understand the concept. Right.
00:59:14 --> 00:59:39 But it doesn't mean I'm going to give the concept an excuse to exist. It's weak. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Of course. Yeah. I will say when I was a kid, I found this video quite scary. You know, I found a lot of Missy Elliott's videos quite scary. You know, it wasn't until I got older that I was like, oh, that's actually like really cool. Yeah. Yeah. So watching it back now, I really like it. I will say I do think of highlighter green whenever I hear this song.
00:59:39 --> 00:59:57 because of this video. And it's single cover too. It's all that color. And yeah, she just, she looks so strong and confident in this, you know? And yeah, it's actually a little sad for me, like to see her confidence almost like
00:59:57 --> 01:00:15 die a little bit as this album campaign went on. Like comparing her in this video to like the lullaby performances, I was like, oh wow. It's like a completely different person. You know? Even the live performances, she was wearing her little, you know, latex cowgirl moment. Yeah, she was confident. She was feeling it. Yeah.
01:00:15 --> 01:00:34 Yeah. Yeah, I will say performance-wise, the choreo's not the most dynamic. I can kind of see what they were going for with, like, the nodding and the shoulder bopping. They're trying to, like, match the aesthetic of the video where it's all kind of, like, robotic and stuff. There's some interesting formation changes and stuff, but I can see why at the time...
01:00:34 --> 01:01:02 I mean, this is very different from anything anyone had ever seen her do with the Spice Girls. So I can see why it was like, whoa, you know. But watching it now, I'm like, no, it's fine. It's okay. That's actually really funny. I don't care for the performances as much as I do the video. Like I said, aside from the chorus just not being my favorite, I don't dislike the song. I just dislike the lyrics of the chorus and the melody. So, okay.
01:01:02 --> 01:01:28 You know, the points got docked a little bit, but it's at a seven, so not bad. But it's not hotter. I'll do a seven as well. Yeah. Yeah. Up next is Pack Your Shhh. And this was done by Teddy Riley, Screwface, Johnny Singletary, Jonathan Walker, and Jack Knight. And it features vocals from Eric Williams of Blackstreet. And even though she's not credited, Karen Anderson is back to sing the chorus and the pre-chorus.
01:01:35 --> 01:02:04 this is her song because what is the way you said it I was just like mind you I heard the song but just hearing it it's a little like again but this time she's like she's like what's a majority shareholder it's that's what it's getting where are your investments what's going on but yeah and the worst part of it is yeah Melby could have totally sang this course dude
01:02:05 --> 01:02:27 That's my note. I said this song could have been really. Oh, wow, it's terrible English. This song could have been really something. That's what I said. I meant it. I was so annoyed. I typed strangely. But I don't understand why Mel B didn't record her stuff, is what I said. Her low tone on the pre and the hook could have been so good.
01:02:28 --> 01:02:47 That's it, period. Like, oh my gosh. It doesn't make sense. But you can talk about the Hoochies and the Drew Hill album. That was Cisco. Oh, right. My bad. Sorry. But I'm just saying, like, it's just, you know, like, oh, God. So.
01:02:49 --> 01:03:00 All right. She was at least in the chorus, right? Right. Right. Like, don't come back around here no more. Like, she was giving her all.
01:03:05 --> 01:03:22 I said, girl, tell him to go. Kick him out. And Eric Williams, so talented. Oh. You know, like, Teddy Riley has been in a number of different little amalgamations of people. He had Guy, Blackstreet. That was it. My bad. But he's worked without so many other people. Yeah.
01:03:23 --> 01:03:48 I had a brain slip but he's been around for a while and every time he finds a good vocal Aaron Hall and guy um you have um Eric Williams and Black Street I mean the whole group could really sing their buds off but Eric's fabulous oh I will say I can't stand the line I never found no spit up on the covers that is crazy I mean this whole verse theorically is not my fave
01:03:48 --> 01:04:07 Right. I was actually, I got Eric Williams a couple years ago. Me and this person are not friends anymore because my friend of nine years got a boyfriend of three months who gave her a little promise ring. And he swore up and down that I want him. I'm like, you are so far from my type. It's not even funny. And she knows he's far from my type. But she was like, oh.
01:04:07 --> 01:04:33 And I'm like, ugh. Ugh. I'm so offended. Like, I kept things nice and cordial with her. I was like, you know what? Don't invite me nowhere. And to this day, he can't look me in the eye. Because you know that you look at me the way Eric was looking at that girl with her little skirt. I wasn't wearing a little skirt in my defense either, by the way. I wasn't wearing a little skirt. Okay? In fact, I punched him. Nothing about that is giving, oh, yeah, I want this man. But, yeah, anyway, I think...
01:04:34 --> 01:05:01 the interaction between them two, where she goes, there better not be anything on my sheets. Like you're doing me a favor? Like, that's not, you're not, like there better not be anything on my sheets. And then later she finds stuff. So he lied, which is nasty. At least do it on the couch. Do it in the shower. Don't do it in my bed where I sleep too. I'm sitting there like, oh, I'm so tired. I'm working all day. Mm, time for a nap.
01:05:01 --> 01:05:26 what's that? Like, come on. Yeah. Like, it doesn't make sense. But yeah, she sounds good here though. So. She does. She does. Yeah. Um, I do enjoy the production on the track itself as well. You get these kind of like staccato trills. There's like that door slamming sound that they use, um, as part of the hook almost. Um, so yeah, there's a lot going on here. I appreciate the attitude here, um, as well. A little bit different from the rest of the album. Uh,
01:05:26 --> 01:05:48 I think there's potential here. I just don't love the execution, to be honest. But it's still one of the better ones on the album. Yeah. So once I got over the whole, you know, Milli Vanilli situation, I don't dislike the song. Again, I don't care for the whole... I didn't get any icing on the bed. So for me, maybe like a...
01:05:51 --> 01:06:06 I don't know the sheets thing I'll give it a 7-ish and the 7 is kind of like leaning towards 6.75 you know I have it as a 6 in my notes but I'll bump it up to a 6.5
01:06:07 --> 01:06:33 It's one of the better ones. Yeah. We get past the whole like ghost vocal. Who's not really ghost. Because she's very much present. She's a full on reincarnation vocal. Oh God. All right guys. Last but not least is. Feel me now. I'm so sorry. Chris has any ears in. I'm so sorry. He hates it. I was waiting for the microphone. Hang on.
01:06:36 --> 01:06:41 doing again and this was done by I lied I am Mel B Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
01:06:49 --> 01:07:18 Who else thinks Quinn should have Chantel read a story? I would be so good. Don't let this weirdness fool you. I could. Oh, she can do it. I just don't ever want to listen to it. Oh, cover your ears. I'm sure you could do it. I could. Here's the intro of that song. I like it when we do it this way. I like it when we do it this way. Quinn is so far away from the camera. It's hilarious.
01:07:19 --> 01:07:37 Sorry. I've lost the sauce. It's gone. The sauce on the bedsheets. I've lost it. Anyway, this song is just so desperately trying to be Janet that it kind of annoyed me a little bit. And I'm like, you're better than this. Yes. It's like...
01:07:37 --> 01:07:55 The amount of effort that wasn't, it's just egregiously, like Janet, egregious amounts of Janet. It's also just like not even close to as good. Right. And it's like, I mean, it just sucks because you're sitting there competing basically against, um, would you mind? Come inside me.
01:07:55 --> 01:08:16 You know, it's just like, talking about something. Sorry. When I get wanted, I give you what you want. And none of it rhymes, mind you. It's all about the layers of my body, all right? Just explore me. Don't let me move. It's all about the different layers of my body, right?
01:08:17 --> 01:08:32 And the word after that is I won't mind. And the last word after that is pleasure. Where is my rhyme? This girl is sitting here just talking nasty on the phone. That's what it is. And there's nothing wrong with that, but this album isn't about you talking nasty on the phone.
01:08:32 --> 01:09:02 I know. You know? And then even the chorus, dude, the chorus doesn't rhyme either. This, that's the thing about, the songs don't have to rhyme. Like, it's like a necessity. But if you want, like, a decent track where you're actually not singing, you might want to try to give me something to latch onto. Talking about, ooh, this feels really good. Just tickle me. What the hell? This feels really good. Really good. Just tickle me. Oh, yeah. I hate the second verse the most.
01:09:03 --> 01:09:06 Yeah.
01:09:06 --> 01:09:34 It's so bad. It's not great. I'm sorry. I think I will say production wise, I mean, it's literally Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Of course, it sounds like all of Janet's songs that sound like this. Yeah. And the vocal layers and stuff on the Feel Me Now. You know, like Nell B, it is nice to hear her do this kind of softer tone when she's singing. We did ask for this. So, yeah, she sounds...
01:09:36 --> 01:09:52 like good yeah but i just yeah but the spoken verses it's just like it's not it doesn't feel sexy i don't know there's something about it where i'm kind of just i was just kind of making a face
01:09:53 --> 01:10:12 She was jonesing on the phone, that's why. It's like, what did you eat for lunch? Well, I had a Reuben. You know what a Reuben is? It's mozzarella and pastrami. You like pastrami, right?
01:10:13 --> 01:10:31 I like to spread the Dijon, that Grey Poupon all over my bread. Like, you know what I'm saying? Like, at least I try to rhyme Dijon and Grey Poupon. Like, they're both types of mustard and one's a brand, one's a type, right? So I think that kind of threw me off. Yeah. And I don't know, like, I feel like there's an...
01:10:31 --> 01:10:55 There was too much talking. Like, either just do, like, spoken verses and then give me a sung chorus with some, like, nice ad-libs and stuff over it. Or give me sung verses and then have more of that speaking as kind of on top of the chorus that she was doing. But because you have both, it's just, like, too much. I blame Atomic Kitten. They didn't come out with Hole Again enough. They didn't come out with Hole Again in time.
01:10:56 --> 01:11:09 I blame you, atomic kitten. You should have come out whole again first so she could, so they can, oh, we should do that. Yeah. I will say also, we get this kind of key change at the end. Okay, yes. And then someone else's voice comes in.
01:11:13 --> 01:11:35 Okay, okay, okay. As Spice fans, this is not coming from a place of... Some people are like, yeah, you're being really mean. I mean, we're cracking jokes. So if you think the jokes are mean, then that's okay. That's fine. It's not going to stop the jokes, but they're going to come, right? But we have to be real. Objectively speaking, she can do so much better than this last track. Yes. And the fact that she has this weird, like...
01:11:35 --> 01:11:51 this like this apparition vocal this reincarnate vocal whoever that person is is so disrespectful because it's not even a ghost vocal that sounds like her it's a woman who sounds like I should have had the record
01:11:54 --> 01:12:07 But instead of it being like, I'm not Janet, like I don't have like the oomph or whatever, I'll settle for a feature. That's what it's giving. Like, it's just because I don't think that lady is going to complain. You can hear her voice up and down this whole album.
01:12:07 --> 01:12:27 She's the same lady. Oh, a lady. Excuse me. My bad. You're right. But the point. Someone who was just hanging at Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Sorry, Karen. I'm sorry. You deserve better than that. I'm sorry. But the point is, no one's going to complain being on the Spice Girls album. Right. You know, but it's a little fishy. Anyway, I give this one a four.
01:12:27 --> 01:12:41 I don't mind the phone SMEX version. I listen to it again. So yeah, I think I might give it a 6.5 maybe. Okay. I don't hate it because I listen to it again. I think at first I just wasn't...
01:12:41 --> 01:12:58 Got me all hot and smoochy. The songs loop into each other. So when I was listening to it, I was like, I hate this. I don't, mm-mm-mm. But after listening to it just now, 6.5. Maybe even a 7 if I'm looking for some inspo. Really? Yeah, this is not what I want from Miss Mel B.
01:13:01 --> 01:13:21 I think I realized that I don't mind it anymore. I just don't like that tickle me thing. It's freaking weird. It's maybe the six. We'll say it's six. That's a big drop. I'm joking. I'm joking. I'm joking. I'm joking. But yes, y'all, I don't want, I don't want to feel like we're like pooping on her. You know what I'm saying? Because they were no better than the press that was...
01:13:21 --> 01:13:48 No, we're huge Spice Girls fans. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But we're not like, oh my God, this album is trash. I just feel like there's some certain things that we talked about. A little funky. Yeah. There are some other tracks from this kind of era of Mel B's solo career. There was Word Up and also It's B-Sci, which featured Emma Bunton. So if you want to hear us talk about those songs, you have to come join us at patreon.com slash CCTV Pops. Yes. Yes. All right. Okay.
01:13:48 --> 01:14:16 Now, we are at a very fun section of our show called Cut or Keep. Or you keep one song or cut one song, okay? Or and cut one song. So someone got to stay and someone got to go. I think it's obvious for me what I would cut. Okay. Well, no matter of fact, I think it was obvious for you what you would cut. I feel like... I was getting ready to say a song, but I don't think needs to get cut for real, for real. But maybe... Maybe hell no.
01:14:17 --> 01:14:39 I don't think that's great. That's fair. You know. I think I would cut I believe. What? You don't open your third hole? Or feel me now. Feel me now. Sounds like Janet. Right. But I'd rather just listen to Janet. All right. So. And then for a keep.
01:14:40 --> 01:15:01 I mean, we know what you're keeping. Hotter. Heck yeah. I should have been a single. Yeah. I mean, I'll join you with that one. Yeah. So, yeah. A little bit of a waste of opportunity, I'd say. Yeah. I mean, yeah. Again, I think I said this earlier, but I really wish she got to write more on the album. Eh.
01:15:02 --> 01:15:29 I kind of wish we didn't have only these American producers. Me too. I don't know. Like, it just felt a little safe. Mm. And it didn't feel like her. Yes. Like, there's no spice in it at all. Right. Which makes me sad. Yeah. So, yeah. Look, I haven't listened to this album in a long time. Mm-hmm.
01:15:31 --> 01:15:37 I don't think I'll be listening to it again in a long time. I just wish I had more bite to it.
01:15:39 --> 01:16:01 I think I agree with that. Now, the whole argument between, like, it doesn't sound like Spice and, like, she's paving her own way, I totally get. But Spice was Spice because she was also in it. Right? The same way where you hear Jerry Halliwell, when she had her solo, you're like, oh, that's where all that quirk was coming from with Spice. Like, when someone's missing, you know?
01:16:01 --> 01:16:10 they all had something that gave it flavor, literal spice, you know? And there was no scary, maybe a little bit scared.
01:16:10 --> 01:16:38 maybe wounded, but it was a lot of smoochy spice, which is fine. But I think, again, what I said in the beginning was, if you have producers who have such a distinct sound, if you do not inject yourself, you will get lost in their sound. And I think that's what happened here. And because she doesn't have, like, the strongest pop vocal, or, like, you may like her voice. I like her voice in different, like, registers, like, different placements of her voice. But I think this...
01:16:38 --> 01:17:01 album didn't do a good job of highlighting her strengths she can rap she sings really well in her low register which is why i think one of these b-sides should have been on this album um you know so it's just things like that kind of irritate me um i do think for her to try i respect it but it does not
01:17:01 --> 01:17:21 bode well when those same producers are doing your group album as well. So then again, it goes back to why not just bring the spice back? So, you're going to work with the same people. It cancels out that whole, well, she's paving her own path. She's not if she's using the same producers. Yeah. So, my opinion, just saying,
01:17:21 --> 01:17:42 Love you, Mel B. You are the reason for the season. Like my shirt. Yes. So overall score, I did give some higher scores. I would say maybe like a six out of ten. Not terrible. Not amazing. But it doesn't feel completely like her. It's not enough of her for me to give it anything higher right now.
01:17:42 --> 01:18:02 Yeah, I guess for me, also a six. It feels wrong to go lower than that. Okay. But I will say 5.5 is right there. So, yeah. Yeah. I step inside. I just realized. Oh, my God.
01:18:03 --> 01:18:33 Wow. Yeah. But yeah, Spice fans, very curious to hear what you all think of Mel B's hot album. Let us know in the comments. Check us out at CCTV Pops on all social media. Let us know what you think. And tell us what other spicy albums you want us to do next. Obviously, Mel C's new album comes out very soon. So definitely going to review that. And we've done Victoria's album, but I'm really excited to get to Jerry and Emma too. So help us prioritize here. Oh.
01:18:33 --> 01:18:45 What shall we do next? Huge shout out to RCCV crew on Patreon. We have Hillary, Lily, Emily, Darius, Phoenix, Ren, George, Julianne, Jonathan, Janelle, Luke, Ivana, Wyatt, Ryan, and Celeste.
01:18:46 --> 01:19:15 And as I mentioned, you can follow us everywhere at CCTV Pops. If you're watching on YouTube, we're really close to 10 followers or subscribers. So like, subscribe, turn notifications. And we're also going up the podcast charts. So a follow, a rating, a share really helps us out. Until next time, that's Chantel. That's Chris. And we're signing off from CCTV, the nonstop pop show. Yippee!