Geri Halliwell
Passion

THE REVIEW

What can be said about this work?

First off, let me say that I have a certain fondness for this petite singer, but to call a record that, after four years of preparation, presents itself as a jumble of tracks without rhyme or reason a "work" would be, to use an understatement, exaggerated. Okay, Geri Halliwell, after "Scream If You Wanna Go Faster", took her vacation, keeping busy between London and Los Angeles. But the fact remains that an album like this, an album that should have marked the return to the scene of the former Ginger Spice, cannot just be a simple container of more or less catchy tracks. Because by doing so, you're just asking for trouble. And indeed, this latest album, "Passion", turns out to be a terrible flop.

Part of the responsibility lies with the record company, which certainly did not bother to promote this album. An evident sign of a total lack of confidence in one of the singers who has reached more number ones in the UK charts. What seems clear to me from this album is that Geri still has much to offer. The voice is certainly better than in previous works. But the whole thing results in a banal sequence of overly simple melodies. Among them, "Superstar" and "Surrender Your Groove", which are among the most useless tracks in history. In reality, our favorite redhead had some good ideas initially. The original concept was for a dance-style album. Then the project was steered towards a more proven choice: pop, the usual, well-known pop. But this time Geri was right. A dance album, in the style of the first single released, "Ride It", would have actually anticipated a move by the queen of pop, Madonna, who with "Confessions On A Dancefloor" literally took the world by storm. But it did not go as she hoped.

The tracklist includes tracks with jazz hints (but which more closely recall the movements of Jessica Rabbit), such as the title track and the closing track, "So I Give Up On Love". The first is unconvincing, while the second is very much in Geri's style. It's definitely the interpretation that's Halliwell's strong point. A great personality and a great grit.
Paradoxically, everything works better in the ballads, especially in "Let Me Love You More", dedicated to the ex-boyfriend, Robbie Williams.

The second single, "Desire", is boring. "Love Never Loved Me" would have been fine in the late '90s. "Feel The Fear" is more convincing, but then immediately falls into the worst examples of commercial music, "Superstar" and "Surrender Your Groove". "Ride It" brings the album back to acceptable levels, and with "There's Always Tomorrow" we witness a maturation of the singer: it is evident, in fact, an improvement in Geri Halliwell's vocal control, who here unleashes a very soothing and pleasant voice to the ear. "Let Me Love You More" is surely an impactful ballad, not so much for the melody, but for the lyrics. We then return to energy with "Don't Get Any Better" which, although it will not be remembered as a great song, is not bad. "Loving Me Back To Life" takes us back to slow notes. Nothing special, but it passes. And finally, the already mentioned jazz track "So I Give Up On Love", where the singer takes revenge by recounting the flaws of her exes.

Geri has released an album that satisfied the most die-hard fans, but certainly those who didn't love her before, won't start doing so now.