This Time (Melanie C album)
This Time is the fourth studio album released by British singer Melanie C. 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", "This Time" and "Understand", 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 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 DVD "Live at the Hard Rock Cafe". Critical reception. "This Time" garnered mixed reception from music critics who were divided by the lyrical content feeling nondescript. Glenn Meads of the "Manchester Evening News" praised the album's 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 commended the album for having tracks that allowed Chisholm's voice to show emotion but that it will only appeal to long-time fans than attract new ones. AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine 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 found songs "bland and forgettable" and lacked personality to give it life, concluding that "[I]t'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. Credits adapted from the liner notes of "This Time".