Yes, we all thought the Spice Girls would go away eventually, but, sadly, they are still here and their machine of shameless self-promotion and profiteering continues to grind.

Rivalling Mariah Carey and Celine Dion in terms of crass commercialism, the Girls released their sophomore disc, Spice World, just nine months after their debut album Spice came out in North America.

Spice World is about half an album's worth of crap which could easily have been on Spice. They brandish their patented "Girl Power" stance on every song, almost to a sickening level. Album opener "Spice Up Your Life," with its mostly la-la, nursery rhyme lyrics, irritates as effectively as "Wannabe" did, while closing tune "Lady Is A Vamp" is a vaudevillian jab that is just pure rubbish.

Nothing on Spice World is original. "Never Give Up" quotes Earth, Wind and Fire's "Let's Groove," and "Do It" recalls Madonna's "Express Yourself."

The production throughout is a rehash of hip-hop and pop cliches. "Denying," for instance, sounds like Olivia Newton-John produced by Dr. Dre. They even included that Pepsi commercial tune, "Move Over," just to fill album space. That's how prolific the Spice Girls are.

Nobody should have to pay top money for this trash, but sadly, people are buying and the Spice Girls are laughing all the way to the bank.

Grade: D-

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