''This Time'' is the fourth solo studio album released by English singer

Melanie C Melanie Jayne Chisholm (born 12 January 1974), commonly known as Melanie C or Mel C, is an English singer and songwriter. She rose to fame in the mid-1990s as a member of the pop group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Sporty Spice. W ...

. It was primarily released on 30 March 2007 in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It was released in United Kingdom and some other countries on 2 April. The album features the singles " I Want Candy", " The Moment You Believe", "

Carolyna "Carolyna" is a song by British singer Melanie C. It was written by Melanie C, Paul Gendler, and Steve Mac for her fourth studio album, '' This Time'' (2007), while production was helmed by Mac. The song was released by Red Girl Records as the ...

", " This Time" and "

Understand Understanding is a cognitive process related to an abstract or physical object, such as a person, situation, or message whereby one is able to use concepts to model that object. Understanding is a relation between the knower and an object of und ...

", and sold over 300,000 copies worldwide.

Background

''This Time'' was written and recorded throughout the second half of 2006 and early 2007 and released on Chisholm's own record label, Red Girl Records. The songs "What If I Stay" and "Don't Let Me Go" are cover versions of two songs originally written and recorded by

Speedway Speedway may refer to: Racing Race tracks *Daytona International Speedway, a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida. *Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta. *Indianapolis Motor Spe ...

lead singer Jill Jackson for her debut solo album. Two leftover tracks from the album; "Blue Skies All the Way" and "Paris Burning" would be released two years later on Chisholm's "Live at the Hard Rock Cafe" DVD.

Critical reception

''This Time'' garnered mixed reception from

music critic '' The Oxford Companion to Music'' defines music criticism as "the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres". In this sense, it is a branch of m ...

s who were divided by the lyrical content feeling undistinguished. Glenn Meads of the ''

Manchester Evening News The ''Manchester Evening News'' (''MEN'') is a regional daily newspaper covering Greater Manchester in North West England, founded in 1868. It is published Monday–Saturday; a Sunday edition, the ''MEN on Sunday'', was launched in February 20 ...

'' praised the tracks for showcasing Chisholm's new found maturity and consistent genre versatility in her voice, concluding that its "perfect for anyone fed up with Melua, Jones and other artists who sleep walk their way through each track. At least Melanie sounds like she means it." Talia Kraines of

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

commended the album for having tracks which allowed Chisholm's voice to show emotion, but that it will only appeal to longtime fans than attract new ones.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...

gave credit to the sleek production and Chisholm's voice showing character and maturity, but found the songs too middling and subpar to notice them yet. Despite praising Chisholm's vocal performance and her duet with Adam Argyle, John Murphy of

MusicOMH ''MusicOMH'' (stylized as ''musicOMH'') is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B. History ''MusicOMH'' was founded an ...

found songs "bland and forgettable" and lacked personality to give it life, concluding that " 's a shame, but this album won’t be the one to propel a Spice Girl back to the top of the charts."

Track listing

Personnel

*Melanie C – vocals *Luke Potashnick – guitar *Steve Pearce – bass guitar *Joel Edwards – guitar, additional backing vocals *Ian Thomas – drums *

Guy Chambers Guy Antony Chambers (born 12 January 1963) is an English songwriter, musician and record producer, best known for his work with Robbie Williams. Education Chambers attended Quarry Bank Comprehensive School sixth form in Liverpool. From 18, ...

– keyboards, piano, synthesizer *Mark Richardson – drums *Robin Barter – keyboards, bass guitar *Chris Laws – percussion *James Bourne – piano *Trevor Barry – bass guitar *Ben Lee – violin *

Steve Mac Steve McCutcheon (born 15 January 1972), known professionally as Steve Mac, is a British record producer, songwriter and musician. A multi-award-winning producer, he is one of the most prolific songwriters and record producers in modern Briti ...

– piano, synthesizer *Greg Hatwell – acoustic guitar, electric guitar *

Phil Thornalley Phillip Carden Thornalley (born 5 January 1960) is an English songwriter, musician, and producer who has worked in the music industry since 1978. He produced the album ''Pornography'' by The Cure and was later their bass player. He began releas ...

– guitar, backing vocals, mellotron, bass guitar *David Munday – bass guitar *Simon Clarke – saxophone *Charlie Grant – acoustic guitar, bass guitar, electric guitar *Mark Evans – guitar *Roddy Lorimer – trumpet *Pete Woodroffe – keyboards, drum programming *Paul Gendler – acoustic guitar, electric guitar * Peter John Vettese – piano, programming * Scott Firth – bass guitar *Ian Burdge – cello *Vinnie Lammi – drums *Nick Nasmyth – keyboards *Charlotte Aggett – backing vocals *Lizzy Pattinson – backing vocals

Charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2007 albums Albums produced by Stephen Hague Melanie C albums Self-released albums