Right from the start, Melanie C's solo career was equally cursed and blessed. Though she had the best voice of any Spice Girl – imagine 'Who Do You Think You Are' without her jubilant final stretch ad libs – she was also the least entertaining. When the tunes ebbed away, and ebb away they did, Geri Halliwell had her self-improvement bobbins to prattle on about; Melanie B had that mouth; Victoria was, well, Victoria.

And yet, even with the Spice Girls reunion a mere pressed button at the CD factory away, Chisholm is still arsing about with her solo career. 'This Time', the title track from her fourth album, is a plodding, angsty soft rock ballad that sounds like a leftover from Natalie Imbruglia's Left Of The Middle sessions. "I hate myself inside," she hisses. "And why? I played the game and lied." Jesus. At least Geri Halliwell's 'Look At Me' was fun at the time.