Virgin
Urban Contemporary, 2000

Melanie “Scary Spice” Brown’s solo debut isn’t as bad as the critics savaged it to be. Then again, the UK critics are venomous about R&B music if it’s done by anyone other than Craig David, so I don’t know what their agenda is.

Yes, Hot isn’t bad, but it is also very average. Most of the tunes here sound like fillers or Janet Jackson rejects. It doesn’t help that Mel B’s Leed accent can be so thick at times that I can’t make out what she is singing. Nonetheless, tunes like Feels So Good, Lullaby, and I Believe are perfect summertime tunes. And Scary Spice makes an appearance in Step Inside and the amusing Pack Your S**t (do check out the lyrics of the latter song!). And Hotter has a fabulous chorus.

Hot may be mediocre R&B, but still, Melanie Brown does acquit herself pretty well. Overlooking that accent may be a tall order, though.