Geri Halliwell Albums (7)
'Escape to Your Spa Home: Nature's Medley/Summer Solstice'
Release Date 5/6/2008
Tracks 3
Label Platinum Disc
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'Escape to Your Spa at Home: Cleansing Rain/Fantastical Flight'
Release Date 5/6/2008
Tracks 3
Label Platinum Disc
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'Escape to Your Spa at Home: Rainy Day State of Mind/Private Paradise'
Release Date 5/6/2008
Tracks 3
Label Platinum Disc
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'Escape to Your Spa at Home: Renewing Rainfall/Tranquil Streams'
Release Date 5/6/2008
Tracks 27
Label Platinum Disc
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What The Critics Say
Despite a considerable burst of success with her U.K. double platinum debut album Schizophonic, Geri Halliwell had lost considerable momentum by the time she came to her third solo record in 2005. The blame for this turn of events falls largely on Halliwell herself. Her cartoonish personality worked wonders on cheeky gay disco fluff like "Bag It Up" and "Mi Chico Latino" in 1999, but on her second set, Scream If You Wanna Go Faster, she allowed that persona to detract from the music, resulting in an overly boisterous and largely unlistenable collection of weak tunes and ridiculous excesses. Passion finds Halliwell at a crossroads then. After a few years out of the public eye and with the commercial disappointment of Scream If You Wanna Go Faster to overcome, she has plenty to prove. The album is marketed as her most personal effort to date, the liner notes gush in typical Geri fashion about the ups and downs she has experienced in the last few years, and how they have influenced her songwriting. Although she hasn't turned into Jewel just yet, Passion is markedly more ballad-heavy than her first two albums. She's never been much of a singer, but the pretty arrangements of songs such as "Feel the Fear" and "Let Me Love You More" overcome her vocal shortcomings. Lead single "Ride It" is a fine slice of campy dance-pop, the kind of which Halliwell has always sounded most comfortable with. It easily hit the U.K. Top Five and re-established her position somewhat. Better still is "Love Never Loved Me," a genuine disco song for the 21st century, with heartbroken lyrics over a pulsating dance beat. It's possibly the best thing she has ever done outside of the Spice Girls. There are some failures on the album, but to Halliwell's credit, her album filler is never dull. "Desire" is a strange, sexually charged mix of Shirley Bassey and Madonna which is certainly different, but ultimately doesn't quite work. Opening and closing tracks "Passion" and "So I Give Up on Love" represent a supremely ill advised effort to re-create the cheeky lounge singer vibe of performers like Eartha Kitt and Marilyn Monroe. Halliwell just does not have the range for this kind of material, and she winds up sounding ridiculous. Overall, Passion is a much more appealing record than Scream If You Wanna Go Faster, with enough enjoyable tracks to make up for the handful of disasters. If she can just strike the right balance between her pop sensibilities and the enormity of her personality as she did in the Spice Girls and on her solo debut, she may yet be a force to be reckoned with again. ~ John Lucas, All Music Guide
'Scream If You Wanna Go Faster'
Release Date 5/16/2001
Tracks 12
Label EMI
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What The Critics Say
As on her previous album, Schizophoinc, the former Ginger Spice Geri Halliwell tackles several different genres of music on her sophomore solo set, Scream If You Wanna Go Faster, resulting in a varied album with very few dull moments. This gal sure knows how to pick 'em -- the songs are hopelessly catchy, and any limitations her voice may possess are masked by songs which are well suited for her range (and written by her as well). The album scored a number one European smash with its remake of the Weather Girls' "It's Raining Men," easily one of the album's least interesting tunes. This set opens with two irresistible, silly, fun, and catchy songs ("Scream If You Wanna Go Faster" and "Shake Your Bootie Cutie"). Other up-tempo tracks recall 1960s go-go pop, such as "Circles Round the Moon" and "Don't Call Me Baby," and others, such as "Feels Like Sex," are vampy and overtly sexual (without being offensive). Halliwell tackles ballads (the decidedly Euro-flavored "Calling," the uninteresting "Love Is the Only Light," and the superb "I Was Made That Way") and even reggae ("Lovey Dovey Stuff"). The album's strongest song is the mid-tempo, singalong, hand-clappin' "Strength of a Woman," which continues with the girl power theme (though now it's decidedly more mature) that originally put this vixen on the musical map. Despite a few dull moments (and the egocentric "Heaven and Hell [Being Geri Halliwell]"), this set is diverse, uplifting, and fun through and through -- only the most hardened and cynical listener would be incapable of finding a song to tap their foot to. ~ Jose Promis, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
If anyone was going to leave the Spice Girls for a solo career, it would have been Geri Halliwell -- she was the ringleader, the brassy voice for girl power. Ironically, as the Spice Girls regrouped and found a new voice, Halliwell seemed a little lost. She dove head-first into maturity, dressing in sensible suits and becoming, of all things, a Goodwill Ambassador of the U.N. It was as if Robbie Williams had suddenly turned into Gary Barlow. By the time she cut her debut solo album, Halliwell had realized that it was her spunk and character that made her a pop star -- and she explained away the rapid shift in image in the title, Schizophonic, which also is a description of the album's contents. Intent on proving her artistic worth, Halliwell is determined to do it all, from incessantly catchy dance-pop and sweet ballads to Latin-pop and a radio-ready revamp of Madchester psychedelia. Unfortunately, Halliwell doesn't have strong collaborators, who know how to exploit her admittedly limited voice, so much of it falls a little flat musically. There are, however, cuts on Schizophonia sparkle with a gleeful, unabashed love of pop and dance. Invariably, the album soars when it's upbeat -- particularly on the self-conscious, silly "Look at Me," "Let Me Love You" and the closer "You're in a Bubble" -- since Halliwell sounds better when she's surrounded by glittery, flashy dance beats. Once the tempo slows, her limitations become apparent, unless the song gives her a chance to be a diva, such as the jazzy "Goodbye Kiss." If Schizophonia doesn't work on some levels, it does succeed as a statement of purpose from the newly independent Halliwell. If it sounds awkward at times and brash at others, if it veers between the tacky and tasteful, if it is both good and bad, well, that's her - and you either like it or loathe it. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
