Four years after hinting at taking a more pop-focused direction, British singer/songwriter Melanie C finally took it to the dancefloor with her declarative eighth album, Melanie C. Without missing a beat, she took inspiration from her bold collaboration with drag collective Sink the Pink -- the LGBTQ Pride anthem High Heels -- embracing her fun, glam side with a tight collection of empowering dance anthems and defiant, R&B-inspired moments of introspection. Arguably the most skilled singer in the Spice Girls, her earthy vocals put a distinctive stamp on these tracks, which could also perfectly serve artists like Kylie Minogue or Dua Lipa. Setting her above any standard pop fluff, her lyrics concerning personal growth and existential epiphanies add substance and depth to the set. From the outset, she declares Ive got nothing left to hide/Im comfortable with whats inside on the rousing Who I Am. Atop urgent, Robyn-styled synths, she confesses when I look in the mirror/I finally like what I see and Im ready to drop my armor. To hear a much-loved public figure make such realizations 25 years into a storied career is nothing short of inspirational. The edgy club track Blame It on Me, the tribal march of Here I Am, and the retro-dance-funk whirlwind Good Enough follow in the same pumped-up motivational vein. Elsewhere, she offers some time to breathe on moments like the woozy, mantra-packed Escape and the atmospheric yet ominous Nowhere to Run. When Melanie C isnt encouraging self-confidence through personal reflection, she turns her gaze outward, bolstering self-worth and standing tall in the face of critics and detractors on the disco-funked Overload, the sparkling In and Out of Love, and the slinky, jazzed-up duet with English rapper Nadia Rose, Fearless. Even on the moving closer, End of Everything, she manages to spin a harrowing turning point into an opportunity for strength, delivering the strongest vocals on the album as she steps out on her own with head held high. Its a wonder how it took this long for her to make such an unabashed pop album and, with the addition of her emotional insight, her catalog is all the better for it. Relatable and reinvigorated, the catchy and confessional Melanie C is not only a reboot for the artists sound, but a rebirth for the icon herself. ~ Neil Z. Yeung

Rovi