Version of Me

Photographer: Marlene Marino.
For Version of Me, her first pop album in five years, Melanie C seems to take several cues from Ellie Goulding. What draws Melanie C to that light is its sleek, urbanite gloss, equal parts pop, R&B, and electronica. Melanie C is a stronger personality than Ellie Goulding -- she's not as dexterous a singer, but that's her appeal -- and the songs on Version of Me also have strong contours: not necessarily hookier melodies, but arrangements that emphasize movement instead of shimmer. Version of Me still tends to collapse into style, grooving on feel instead of song, but Melanie C actually winds up giving the album a bit of a kick. No matter how anodyne and elegant her electronic surrounds are, she punctures their sheen with her earthiness, and that gives Version of Me an unexpectedly nervy heart. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine