| Product: |
Victoria Beckham - Victoria Beckham |
| Date: |
18/02/02 (238 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Catchy, well written+produced
Disadvantages: Pitch machine/vodocor
Review of Victoria Beckham, ‘Victoria Beckham’.
Victoria Beckham certainly has her critics, and indeed most of her publicity is as a result of her private life, yet when the topic of conversation is her music, the critics are less generous with column inches. Because the press spend most of their time criticising her private life, it is almost impossible not to have the same attitude towards her music. However, Victoria has worked with various different sets of writers and producers, and the end product is what I would consider to be a satisfying album, in the eyes of a fan.
Not Such An Innocent Girl.
This is definitely not the strongest track on the album, and perhaps a bizarre choice for the first single when comparing it to the rest of the album, yet saying that it sets the tone for the album, in its pop-R’n’B style and conveys to her audience what she may be trying to achieve with the album (ie. Independence from the Spice Girls, “Don’t wrap me up in cotton wool…”. This is one of only three tracks on the album that Victoria didn’t actually co-write, but its style is typical of the album. A good chorus and well produced. 6.5/10.
A Mind Of It’s Own.
The second single and one of the standout tracks. The spoken verse is quite effective and although it is potentially cringeworthy, it is pulled off well when combined with sung vocals. It is quite up-tempo and probably is the most mainstream song on the album. The chorus and the verses complement each other well. 9/10
That Kind Of Girl.
This track is not one of the highlights, and I would have thought a stronger track would have been chosen as the third track. This track is quite bland and is not particularly catchy. This is not co-written by Victoria either. 5/10
Like That.
The tempo is boosted on this track that is co-written by a guy called Matt Prime. This has subtle and rel
axed verses, but the chorus is very strong and after a couple of plays, you’ll be nodding your heads in that typical pop-RnB-All Saints way. 7.5/10
Girlfriend.
This is a result of Victoria’s work with Dane Bowers (and his co-writers and producers). This is a little similar to Dane’s track ‘Shut Up and Forget It’ in its production, but is definitely a strong song. This will have you tapping your toes, and the unexpected twist towards the end is welcomed. 8/10
Midnight Fantasy.
This is the poppiest tracks on the album, and is instantly catchy. It is slightly predictable, but possibly a future single? 8/10
I.O.U.
This song is all about David. The sentiments seem really sickly, so you would expect an equally sickly-sweet song, but the result is from sickly. It is a ballad, and although it is not as instant as some of the more up-tempo tracks, it is very individual. It is what I would call a classy record, even though the lyrics sometimes stray into cliché territory. However, it is clear that from this song that Victoria can sing. If this was released as a single, it would silence her critics in that respect. 8/10
No Trix, No Games.
This track returns to the pop-R’n’B sound, and it is one of the standout tracks on the album. Victoria co-writes here with the same people that wrote Not Such An Innocent Girl, but the production here means that her vocals seem far more layered. She speaks in places, echoing the sung words here, and this is effective in al places, except at the end when she repeats the title in a cringe worthy moment. 8.5/10
I Wish.
It has been reported that Victoria has been re-working this track with Artful Dodger collaborator Robbie Craig. It is more R’n’B than pop, and in order for it to be a strong single, it probably does need to be spruced up a little. Having said that, it is a grower and becomes quite a catchy numb
er. One question, what is a ‘CLK430’? 7/10
Watcha Talkin’ Bout
The pop-R’n’B style is once again used here, and the result is pleasing. Throughout the album, up until now, the pitch machine/vodocor is used well and not too frequently, yet in this track the producer does use it a little too often, the consequence being that it starts to get a little irritating, and n all honesty does spoil what would have otherwise been an excellent track. 7/10
Unconditional Love.
On this track, Victoria worked with Rhett Lawrence, the man behind Melanie C’s massive hit ‘Never Be The Same Again’, and Emma Bunton’s less successful single ‘We’re Not Gonna Sleep Tonight’. This is more Emma Bunton than Mel C (though there is nothing wrong with Emma!!) The reason being the pitch machine/vodocor, especially when a whole verse is put through the machine. That becomes extremely irritating. That loses the track points, having said that the song is actually not bad, quite uplifting I think would be the word. 7.5/10
Every Part Of Me.
This track is devoted to Brooklyn. You would expect sickly sentiments here, and the reality is not too far away. The chorus is quite annoying, and the verses are weak. I wanted to like this, as Brooklyn even features on it, laughing at the beginning, and saying ‘bye’ at the end, so that scores a couple of points for sweetness value. 5.5/10
Conclusion.
This is an album that is unlikely to please everyone, and the people that are likely to enjoy it are those who liked the first two singles.
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