Melanie C, aka Sporty Spice, played arenas on the Spice Girls' reunion tour, which opened Dec. 2 in Vancouver and wrapped Feb. 26 in Toronto.

But the 34-year singer says she'll have no problem adjusting to small theatres for a Canadian solo tour next month, which includes a stop here. She's touring in support of her latest solo album, the ballad-driven This Time.

She plays May 4 in Montreal (Club Soda), May 5 in Ottawa (Bronson Centre), May 8 in Toronto (Phoenix Concert Theatre), May 9 in London (The Music Hall), May 11 in Winnipeg (Garrick Centre), May 12 in Saskatoon (The Odeon), May 14 in Edmonton (Starlite Room), May 15 in Calgary (MacEwan Ballroom) and May 17 in Vancouver (Croatian Cultural Centre).

"(Clubs are) my favourite size of venue," Melanie C said down the line yesterday from London, England, where she is starting to rehearse with the five-member band that played on the Spice Girls trek.

"I've had the opportunity to play every size of venue -- from a tiny little 50-people-in-a-room club, to festivals with 250,000 people in a city square. It's all performing, and it's all good fun."

This Time is her third major-label release, although she did release another album, the more rock-oriented Beautiful Intentions on her own Red Girl records after she was dropped from Virgin.

This Time was released more than a year ago in the U.K.. It was held back here to capitalize on post-tour Spice Girls buzz.

"Luckily, with the Spice Girls tour there was an interest in Canada for the record, so I'm able to kind of start all over again and actually get the songs out there on the road."

Wrapping up the Spice Girls' road trip was emotionally draining, Melanie C said.

"It was weird. I think the first show in Vancouver (and) the last night in Toronto were probably the most memorable ... I think the first show was sheer fear, and the last one was just a mixture of feelings. I think we were excited that it was coming to an end, but we were also sad, and a little bit worried about when we'd see each other next, and all those things. So it was a range of emotions."

Much was made of the fact that the Spice Girls cut their tour short because of "family and personal committments." Melanie C said it was a tough decision.

"It was awful. It was such a difficult decision for us to make. But two of the girls have got children in school and they'd missed a lot of school, they had tutors on the road and everything. I think they just wanted to get them back to some stability."

Melanie C is not ruling out another kick at the Spice Girls can, even if she was the one who was most hesistant to regroup in the first place, as she had been "afraid the magic wouldn't still be there."

"Anything's possible," she said, after recently getting together with Emma Bunton (Baby Spice) to receive a Spice Girls radio award in London a few weeks ago.

"When I look back to only 12 months ago, it was only around this time last year when I was actually approached to do the reunion, and I'd always said no and I never wanted to do it. But you know, we went out and we had a hugely successful tour, so I've learned my lesson to not say things are finite. I don't know what the future holds."