Forever (Spice Girls Album) - Critical Reception

Critical Reception

Upon its release, the album received mixed to average reviews from most music critics, based on an aggregate score of 45/100 from Metacritic. Stephen Thomas Erlewine editor from Allmusic rated it two-stars out of five and said that: "Sure, they make all the right moves, hiring superstar producer Rodney Jerkins to helm most of the tracks and attempting to seem mature, but this all results in a record that is curiously self-conscious and flat." Erlewine conclued that: "Forever plays like the Girls realized that it's their final album, and they put in just enough effort to make it palatable, but not enough to make it appetizing." The Billboard review was positive, saying that: "The set oozes with timely funk beats and the kind of well-crafted songs that No. 1 hits are made of." Courtney Kemp from Amazon was negative, by saying that: "Forever's strategy is a serious misstep--one that will disappoint their old fans and alienate new ones." The CDNOW review was positive, stating that Forever is "a frothy soufflé of an album, heavy on the groovy dance beats and go-girl goodwill, light on profundity." Andrew Lynch from Entertainment.ie gave the album a rating of two stars (out of five) and said that: "The production is as slick as ever, but all of that old Girl Power enthusiasm seems to have drained away- and with it most of the fun that used to redeem their fundamental tackiness. A sorry, half-hearted footnote to a truly remarkable pop phenomenon."

James Hunter from Rolling Stone was mixed, by saying that: "Forever, will probably provoke a reaction somewhere in the middle — with one exception, it's just OK." David Browne from Entertainment Weekly gave to the album a "C" rating. He said that: "Every genre cliché, from homogenized harmonies to delicately plucked stringed instruments to male rapper interjections, is securely in place. The music is so tasteful, restrained, and assembly line proficient that it makes early singles like Say You'll Be There sound like the rawest punk rock." The Sonic Net review said that: "Yes, this is their "mature" album, the one where the once effervescent combo that could be counted on for enough hooky innuendoes to excite pre-teen girls and dirty young men alike aspire toward some sort of longer-lasting pop relevance. Which translates here into ballads and a huge dose of R&B-lite. It all sounds very professional, though only a hardcore fan can deny that the bloom is definitely off the rose." A positive review came from Sputnikmusic, who wrote that "With Forever the Spice Girls showed that every pop act has its lifespan. They sound dead and their hearts truly were not in the album. Forever also shows what could have been if they really gave it their all and made an album that was truly them. The five good songs on Forever can almost carry the album but not quite."