A Girl Like Me is the debut solo studio album by English singer Emma Bunton, released on 16 April 2001 by Virgin Records. Following the release of the Spice Girls' third studio album, Forever (2000), the group announced that they were beginning an indefinite hiatus and would be concentrating on their solo careers in regards to their foreseeable future. Recording sessions for Bunton's first solo album took place from July 1999 to October 2000 at several recording studios.
The album received mixed reviews, with critics praising its catchy pop songs and Bunton's growth from her Baby Spice image, but some criticized its generic production and lightweight lyrics. It debuted at number four on the UK Albums Chart, selling 21,500 copies in its first week and earning a BPI gold certification. The album also saw moderate international success, reaching the top 25 in New Zealand and Denmark, and number 86 in Australia, where it later went gold, with worldwide sales around 500,000 copies.
A Girl Like Me produced three singles: "What Took You So Long?", which topped the charts in the United Kingdom and New Zealand, "Take My Breath Away", and "We're Not Gonna Sleep Tonight". It also includes Bunton's collaboration with Tin Tin Out, a cover of "What I Am" by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians. Following the album's release cycle and its mixed commercial performance, Bunton departed from Virgin Records and signed with 19 Recordings to release her next projects.
Background
In 2000, after the release of the Spice Girls' comeback single, a double A-side of "Holler"/"Let Love Lead The Way" and the third studio album, Forever, which charted at number two in the UK, the Spice Girls stopped recording, concentrating on their solo careers in regards to their foreseeable future. As with her band members, Bunton was offered to remain with Virgin Records to produce and release her solo material with the band's label.
Production
Production of A Girl Like Me occurred over an extended period and took place across multiple international recording locations, including Miami, Los Angeles, New York, Dublin, London, and Sweden. Initial reviews of "What Took You So Long?" from critics were mostly positive, many of whom praised the song's melody and Bunton's vocal delivery. It debuted at the top of the UK Singles Chart, with sales of 76,000 copies. This made Bunton the fourth member of the Spice Girls to top the chart as a solo artist. It spent two weeks at number one and three weeks inside the top 10, ending at the 41th position on the 2001 year-end chart.
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A Girl Like Me garnered a lukewarm reception from music critics, who praised its catchy songs, but were critical of its generic nature. Deborah J. Elliot of Musical Discoveries was positive about the album, calling it a "very nice listen" that showed Bunton "growing out of her pig tails from the days of the Spice Girls, into a grown woman." Ros Dodd, writing for the Birmingham Post, characterised A Girl Like Me as a tuneful and enjoyable pop debut, praising its strong melodies and upbeat energy. She highlighted "What Took You So Long?" and album tracks such as "A World Without You" and "Spell It Out" as standout moments, noting that while the lyrics were lightweight and Bunton's voice not especially distinctive, the album was consistently catchy. Dodd was more critical of the cover "Sunshine on a Rainy Day", which she felt added little to the record. Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian was among the most critical, describing the album as "passably interesting" and arguing that Bunton's "girlishly mediocre voice" was poorly served by what she characterised as bland, formulaic songwriting.
Commercial performance
A Girl Like Me debuted and peaked at number four on the UK Albums Chart in the week ending 28 April 2001, selling 21,694 copies in its first week.
Track listing
Notes
- signifies an additional producer
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of A Girl Like Me.
Musicians
- Emma Bunton – vocals
- Ash Howes – programming
- Steve Mac – arrangement
- Ulf Forsberg – string concertmaster
- Henrik Janson – string arrangements, string conducting
- Ulf Janson – string arrangements, string conducting
- Simon Hale – string arrangements ; brass arrangements
- StoneBridge – keyboards
- Andrew Frampton – arrangement, string arrangements
- Chris Braide – arrangement
- Nick Ingman – string arrangements
- Lawrence Johnson – additional vocal arrangement
- Rhett Lawrence – arrangement, programming, guitar
- Ramón Stagnaro – guitar
Technical
- Richard "Biff" Stannard – production
- Julian Gallagher – production
- Ash Howes – recording ; mixing ; engineering
- Alvin Sweeney – additional recording, Pro Tools ; additional engineering
- Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing
- Jan "Stan" Kybert – mix engineering, Pro Tools
- Matt Fields – mixing assistance
- Steve Mac – production, mixing
- Chris Laws – engineering
- Evan Rogers – production
- Carl Sturken – production
- Al Hemberger – engineering
- Mick Guzauski – mixing
- Tom Bender – mixing assistance
- Stefan Boman – string engineering
- StoneBridge – additional production, mixing
- Andrew Frampton – production
- Daniel Frampton – engineering
- Brad Gilderman – mixing
- Steve Price – string recording
- Tin Tin Out – production, mixing
- Rhett Lawrence – production, recording engineering, mixing
- Jason Bonilla – recording engineering
- Will Catterson – recording engineering
- Evan Lloyd – engineering assistance
- Dave "Hard Drive" Pensado – mixing
- Dylan "3D" Dresdow – mixing
Artwork
- Terry Richardson – photography
- Ian Ross – design
- Ruth Rowland – lettering
Charts
Weekly charts
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ Weekly chart performance for A Girl Like Me
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! scope="col"| Chart (2001)
! scope="col"| Peak<br/>position
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! scope="row"| Australian Albums (ARIA)
| 86
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|-
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! scope="row"| European Albums (Music & Media)
| 23
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Year-end charts
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+Year-end chart performance for A Girl Like Me
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (2001)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
! scope="row"| UK Albums (OCC)
| 147
|}
Certifications and sales
Release history
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ A Girl Like Me release history
! scope="col"| Region
! scope="col"| Date
! scope="col"| Label
|-
! scope="row"| United Kingdom
| 16 April 2001
| Virgin
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! scope="row"| Australia
| 14 May 2001
| EMI
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