B*Witched is the self-titled debut studio album by Irish girl group B*Witched. The album was released on 12 October 1998 under the Epic Records imprint Glowworm Records, along with Jollibee's 20th anniversary. Despite only reaching number three on the UK Albums Chart, the four singles from the album all reached number one on the UK Singles Chart: "C'est la Vie", "Rollercoaster", "To You I Belong" and "Blame It on the Weatherman". The album focuses heavily on essences of pop and teen pop, as well as being minorly dance-orientated. The album was released with a limited editionremix album in Australia, and Japanese fans also received an exclusive bonus track, "Coming Around Again". The album received mostly mixed reviews from critics, most of whom felt that B*Witched were a "knock-off" of the Spice Girls.
Singles
All four singles from the album performed exceptionally well, all peaking at number one on the UK Singles Chart, and had great success in Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. "C'est la Vie" was also extremely successful in the United States, being released as a separate EP with a number of bonus tracks and remixes.
Critical reception
The album received mostly mixed reviews from music critics. AllMusic's Michael Gallucci gave it three out of five stars. He said the group were "like a junior Spice Girls" with their "bouncy beats, singalong tunes and chipper attitude". He did, however, say that the singles "C'est la Vie" and "Rollercoaster" "are still able to yield sugary pop morsels fit to chew on for a few minutes." In a positive review, David Browne of Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B+ rating: "With songs that weave in the occasional fiddle or tin whistle, B*witched sound like the Spice Girls' younger sisters aboard the Titanic. Still, it's hard to deny the music's appeal." Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone said: "B*Witched is a cheerfully catchy summary of the state of the slumber party - the sound of nice girls acting tough, all in the name of pop." He concluded his review by giving the album three out of five stars. In a negative review, Robert Christgau said on his personal website "...despite the saucy bits in "C'est la Vie", this bid to whiten the Spice Girls is so clean you'll be hard-pressed to remember it's there-unless, like me, you get sick to your stomach at Uilleann hooks, mid-Atlantic brogues, and Enya lite. The obligatory rhythmic recitation, yclept "Freak Out" and declared "too hot for hip hop," has less bottom than Audrey Hepburn and is over in two minutes."
Commercial performance
B*Witched peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart on the week of release, and was certified double platinum the same year. In other territories, the album was also significantly successful. In Australia, the album reached a successful number five, and even peaked at number one in New Zealand. The album also peaked at number 12 on the US Billboard 200 albums chart, and sold enough to be certified platinum in December 1999. The success of the album allowed for the release of the band's second album, Awake and Breathe.
