I switched on the radio. A bouncy if not familiar sounding disco record blared out, and I thought to myself, ‘this is alright.’ As it continued, and recognised Geri Halliwell’s voice, ‘this is alright for a Geri Halliwell song actually.’ Then, I realised why it sounded familiar, why it sounded like a disco classic and why I thought Geri had made a half-decent record for a change. Geri Halliwell has covered the Weather Girls classic; ‘It’s Raining Men.’ Basically, the realisation reduced what would have been an impressive attempt by Halliwell, to what every modern cover of a classic does. An over-produced, probably over-marketed version to which everyone prefers the original. Apparently, it features on the Bridget Jones’ Diary Soundtrack. Great. That means there is no escaping it. A record that may have been luke-warmly appreciated had the pub juke-box not contained the original, but it does, and Halliwell’s version can only stand to be a forgotten, pale comparison to the original in years to come. Halliwell must be the only ‘singer’ allowed hitting duff notes on the actual final recording, and not receiving criticism for it from someone other than the Spice Girls. The producers of the film would have made a better investment paying the royalties and copy right for the original, as opposed to the above plus the recording costs for Halliwell. The units may shift, but the shame, unfortunately, will not.
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4Lauren Falconer's Score