Talk About….Texas

Texas – The Conversation (Album)

Sharleen Spiteri & her gang are back with a new album with a familiar sound. Like so many artists they have gone back to what had made them successful. No fancy American executive producers Texas have largely kept the production in-house. This is the tightest and rawest they have sounded in years. Some have commented over the band aping The Pretenders, Debbie Harry & Blondie, but who were they aping? Texas delve straight to the source.

Proceedings kick off with the title track & current single, The Conversation, it is an obvious choice as a first single as it says look Texas are back. It sounds as if Texas have re-discovered the Texas sound, it’s lean & taut, Sharleen’s vocals are both  haunting and confident . The conversation sets the listener up nicely for what’s to follow.

Dry Your Eyes is one of a number of songs that sound heavily influenced by 60’s girl groups. If This Isn’t Real – sounds very much like a Phil Spector track, it brings to mind Then He Kissed Me.

Detroit City is the best of the rockier numbers this track wouldn’t sound too out of place on a Garbage album. I can see this track being a real crowd pleaser. FYI Detroit City is known by other names i.e. Motor City & Motown. Hid From The Light is another up tempo rocking number this is a song that I can imagine Deborah Harry singing.

One of the standout tracks on the album is Be True, this is Texas at their very best. One of the best Motown tracks never to have been recorded by a Motown artist;  if you catch my drft.

Maybe I – whenever a song lyric starts with maybe I , I cant help but singing didn’t love you. Maybe I sees Sharleen in reflective mode, this track could have been written for Elvis Presley.

Big World is their River Deep Mountain High & Proud Mary moment, this sees Texas in playful mode, even the lyrics have a nod and a wink to Proud Mary, “The world keeps on turning trying to find my feet…” This has potential single written all over it.

Listening to the album you cannot help but feel that Texas have been heavily influenced by girl groups of the 60’s the Shangri- Las, The Shirelles & The Crystals to name but a few.

The longest track clocks in at 3.42, these are taut compositions, Texas are not messing around with overlong, over produced numbers, its as if Texas have got rid of the fat and given us nothing but the meat. They have served up a taste of Americana in their own indomitable style and prove to us that they haven’t stopped talking yet.

VereView Star Rating VVVV/5