My Happy Place [Deluxe Edition]

Over a decade after her previous release, erstwhile Spice Girl Emma Bunton added a fourth album to her solo discography with 2019's My Happy Place. Consisting mostly of cover versions of her favorite tunes, the effort also features a pair of new songs -- "Baby Please Don't Stop" and "Too Many Teardrops" -- which are the clear standouts, injecting both sexual urgency and grand, sweeping drama to the mix. The rest of My Happy Place consists of a varied mix of covers, including Bunton's faithful takes on Candie Payne's 2007 could-have-been-a-Bond-theme "I Wish I Could Have Loved You More" and Madison Avenue's 1999 synth-pop throbber "Don't Call Me Baby," which actually improve on the vocals of the originals while maintaining their brightness and energy. Duets with fellow U.K. popsters Will Young (Dusty Springfield's "I Only Want to Be with You"), Josh Kumra (Norah Jones' "Come Away with Me"), and Robbie Williams (the Spice Girls "2 Become 1") are included alongside appearances by her partner Jade Jones (the saccharine "You're All I Need to Get By") and her young boys (the adorable "Here Comes the Sun"). In the end, My Happy Place is a pet project created for Bunton and her most faithful diehards. ~ Neil Z. Yeung