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.[1] Recording sessions for Bunton's first solo album took place from July 1999 to October 2000 at several recording studios.
A Girl Like Me was preceded by lead single "What Took You So Long?." A pop rock song about men taking longer than women to realise they are in love, it was commercially released in the United Kingdom on 2 April 2001, in two single versions.[3] 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.[4] It debuted at the top of the UK Singles Chart, with sales of 76,000 copies.[5] This made Bunton the fourth member of the Spice Girls to top the chart as a solo artist.[6] It spent two weeks at number one and three weeks inside the top 10,[7] ending at the 41th position on the 2001 year-end chart.[5] The song was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in April 2001.[2]
"Take My Breath Away," co-written and produced by Steve Mac, was issued as the album's second single on 27 August 2001. It reached number five on the UK Singles Chart and became a top twenty hit in Italy.[5] Critical reception towards the song was fairly positive, with NME describing it as "pure summer in a bottle."[8] "We're Not Gonna Sleep Tonight," co-written and produced by Rhett Lawrence, was released as the album's third and final single on 10 December 2001. It debuted and peaked at number 20 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the album's lowest-peaking single.[5]
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", and singled out the singles as well as the tracks "Better Be Careful", "High on Love", "A World Without You", "Been There, Done That" and "Spell It Out" for praise.[11] Ian Wade of Dotmusic was also positive towards the album: he praised tracks such as the lead single, "Better Be Careful" and "A World Without You", but was critical of the more R&B cuts such "Been There, Done That". In the end, he concluded: "Overall, A Girl Like Me, is a thoroughly likeable affair, much like Emma herself, and should put an end to her enforced toddlerism Baby years once and for all".[12]
Stewart Mason of AllMusic felt that Bunton's singing voice lacked depth but that it worked with the well-crafted and addictive pop songs, concluding that it "isn't an album for the ages, but it's better than 'not bad.'"[9] Timothy Park of NME gave the album a 6/10 rating. He said that there were great tracks such as "Take My Breath Away" and "We're Not Gonna Sleep Tonight" that Bunton performs adequately, but concluded that "A Girl Like Me, like Emma, is very sweet but, like Emma also, it has no balls."[8] Erik Missio of Chart Attack said he saw promise in the album but felt disappointed by its attempts to resemble the Spice Girls' sound.[10] Stephen Robinson of Hot Press criticised the tracks for being overly sweet and borrowing from other genres but being unoriginal with them, calling it "another album to chuck aboard the pop blandwagon."[13]
In a retrospective article about the album, Quentin Harrison of Albumism wrote: "Behind Bunton’s ever-sunny disposition is the mind of a mature songstress capable of operating comfortably within the confines of a superpower like the Spice Girls or breaking out by herself. Regarding the latter point, it all began with A Girl Like Me, an understated blueprint to the fetching adult pop approach that Bunton wielded to consolidate a staunch, cross-generational, record buying base over the course of her next three albums."[14]
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 21,500 copies in its first week.[15] On 7 September 2001, the album was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), denoting shipments in excess of 100,000 copies.[2] It became the 147th best-selling album in the United Kingdom for 2001.[16] Lukewarm sales of A Girl Like Me ultimately led to Bunton losing her contract with Virgin Records in 2002.[17]
