Spice (1997)

What lifts Britain's Spice Girls above female-Bay City Roller status is that Spice is a devilishly good pop collection, as the Girls deploy their snarky voices in the service of white hip-hop that's not without soul. The P-Funked ''Say You'll Be There'' is a bid for street cred, but it's a corny ballad like ''Mama'' that will keep them from being one-hit wonders in America. B+