MELANIE C - DIVA FOREVER

When the Spice Girls came out, I was not impressed. In fact, I loathed
their music so much that whenever "Wannabe" or "Say You'll Be There" came
on the radio, I would think, "What's so special about five bimbos singing
stupid songs?" I used to go to the anti-Spice websites online and agree
with all the horrible things said about them. It wasn't until I saw a
documentary on VH1 that made me convert to the Spice temple, or Melanie
C's, for that matter.

Of course, Melanie was the one who caught my attention immediately. I was
surprised that she had studied ballet, since I had the impression she was
bad-ass tomboy who knew how to do incredible martial arts moves. She also
struck me as being the most down-to-earth member of the group, not done up
in platform shoes, short skirts, and gobs of makeup like the other girls.
In fact, I don't think she needs to wear makeup to be devastatingly
gorgeous. It enhances her looks, but she doesn't need to hide anything.
She has a natural beauty and elegance that none of the other girls will
ever have. She doesn't have to show-off in a short skirt or bare her
cleavage to be seductive. Although, I will have to admit that in the
Spiceworld movie when she dresses up as Victoria, she looks hot! It's a
pity she doesn't like her legs, because I think she has great ones.

I notice that when the Spices do interviews, she doesn't say much, but
when she does, it sticks in your mind. In the videos, Melanie has this
image of being tough and athletic, but at the same time, she has this old
40s starlet glamour. When she looks into the camera in "Too Much" her eyes
are so deep and mesmerizing that it would make any guy (or girl!) insane.
I taped the Istanbul concert from TV and I noticed that the cameraman
seemed to focus on her all the time. She just radiates this natural sex
appeal that is only found in a handful of female vocalists, most notably
Madonna.

The durability of Melanie's voice is incredible. Her voice can go down low
and sultry and it can reach high pitches as well. Her voice is unique and
it is obvious that she is only member in the group who has a broad vocal
range. Her duet with Bryan Adams shows her capacity for growth, that she
can sing other kinds of music besides dance pop. When she sings the line
in "Too Much" about "What part of no don't you understand..." it sums up
everything that I have experienced with guys. I think that when she sang
that phrase, she was also singing about herself, since she said she never
had a proper boyfriend.

Why is Melanie overlooked so much in the media? Because she doesn't flaunt
herself like Geri or Mel B? Because she doesn't have "class and
sophistication" like Victoria? Because she's not "cute and sweet" like
Emma? She is all these things, if not more. I read an article in
Entertainment Weekly that mentioned all the Spices except Melanie. Is
Melanie's life not important? Were they led to disbelieve that no one
cares about her because she's "the less popular" member of the group?
Wrong. She is the most talented, the sexiest, and the most intelligent.
She has plenty of fans who want to know about her. If a heterosexual woman
like myself can notice all these things about Melanie, imagine how guys
must feel (Chris notably).

Melanie is the kind of singer that can appeal to anyone. Kids, men, women,
anybody. When she is singing, she makes you feel like she is singing just
for you. Of course, I don't agree with everything she says, like saying
Madonna's music is "s----e", even though I give her big pluses in my book
for saying she is her idol, because I also love Madonna, or liking Oasis,
which I don't really care for, but no one's perfect. These are only
miniscule flaws that I see among the fabulous qualities that make up the
beautiful person that is Melanie. If she embarks on a solo career, she
will go far. After all, who could resist a woman like her? 

Chris, you got good taste, bud. I hope you get to hook up with her
someday, and I'll get to hook up with Paul Weller. But that's another
story...