Wednesday, December 16, 1998

Geri-less Spice Girls are back for more

Have you noticed? Since leaving Britain's famed girl group in May, Geri Halliwell, a.k.a. Ginger Spice, has looked more and more like a young socialite, trading her Union Jack micro-minis for floor-length silk gowns and fashion spreads in upscale mags.

On their first post-Ginger venture, the four remaining Spices seem intent on retaining their rep as teeny-bop voluptuaries. The cover of this four-song disc shows Baby, Scary, Sporty and Posh posed bare-shouldered and huddled together like survivors of a band-wreck, which they are.

Solidarity is the unmistakable theme here, from their live (and not terribly inspired) covers of 'Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves' and 'We Are Family', to the title track, which bids adieu to an old friend: "The times when we would play about/The way we used to scream and shout/We never dreamt you'd go your own sweet way."

Sounds like the foursome is wistful for the old days -- and maybe just a tad jealous that Geri made her getaway ahead of them.

Track Listing 1. Goodbye 2. Christmas Wrapping 3. Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves (Live at Wembley) 4. We Are Family (Live at Wembley)		Album rating