Spice Girls to test shelf life with new release

"People move on to something new very fast," acknowledges producer Rodney Jerkins, who worked on six tracks of the new album. "You can't leave your fans hanging for too long, because they will find something new to grab on to."

For many of the Spice Girls' core fan base -- preteen girls -- that something has been teen idols such as Britney Spears, 'N Sync and Destiny's Child.

In response to the changing landscape, the Spice Girls have tried to redefine themselves. They've stopped using their Spice nicknames, toned down their outlandish clothes, and attempted to gain credibility by working with superproducers like Jerkins and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who have worked with artists ranging from Toni Braxton to Janet Jackson.

The new album's first single, "Holler," has a mid-tempo groove that could appeal to both adult contemporary and pop radio outlets.

"They can't stay making records for little kids all of their lives," Jerkins said of the women, all in their mid-20s. "That's what Britney and 'N Sync and Christina (Aguilera) are there for now.

"The Spice Girls have to keep reinventing themselves and taking themselves to a different level."

The Spice Girls burst onto the American pop scene in late 1996 with the bouncy dance hit "Wannabe." Although dismissed by some critics as forgettable, their album, "Spice," went on to sell millions of copies. So did the followup, "Spice World." The Spice Girls even made a campy movie, "Spice World," which poked fun at their massive success.

Since then, Ginger Spice, aka Geri Halliwell, left the group, in 1998. The remaining four took a break while Victoria Beckham (Posh Spice) and Melanie B (Scary Spice) got married and had children (Melanie B is getting a divorce), and all pursued solo projects.

Paul Karlson, who oversees top 40 promotions at HITS magazine, a radio industry trade weekly, said he expects "Holler" to be a hit "but it's going to take a while for it to build to its potential."

Virgin records has shipped 500,000 advance copies of the album to stores -- a modest figure for a group with record sales of 38 million copies worldwide. Ray Cooper, co-president of Virgin Records America, said the company plans to build on the record over the long term.

"Holler" has already reached No. 1 in Britain, where the Spice Girls remain popular. But the true test will come in the United States, said Jerkins.

"I'm happy that it's doing well overseas, but I want it to do well over here to just shut down some of the critics," he said.

"They have fans that they lost over here that they have to regain."

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