| Product: |
Careful What You Wish For - Texas |
| Date: |
17/03/04 (79 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Some great musical and lyrical styles
Disadvantages: A weak opening number
Texas were formed in 1986 in Scotland, when bassist Johnny McElhone, originally a band member of Altered Images, met Sharleen Spiteri, after seeing her perform Culture Club?s Hit ?Do you really want to hurt me?. They decided to form a band and ?Texas? were born. The band chose their name from the film ?Paris Texas? which all of the band members enjoyed, particularly the soundtrack.
Texas quickly found fame due to the distinctive slide guitar playing in their songs, and the strong voice of Sharleen. Members have come and gone since the band formed, but all members have a wide range of musical knowledge and have had experience of playing with many top bands.
Their first single ?I don?t want a lover? was released in 1989, and reached No. 8 in the charts, and they have gone from strength to strength during the past fourteen years.
The inevitable ?Greatest Hits? album was released in 2001, following which the band members took a two year break in 2001, on which to concentrate on other projects. During that time Sharleen gave birth to a daughter, Misty. The band are back with a new album entitled ?Careful what you wish for?, which can be purchased for £8.99 from CD Wow.
Sharleen Spiteri (vocals, guitar)
Johnny McElhone (bass)
Ally McErlaine (guitar)
Neil Payne (drums, programming)
Eddie Campbell (keyboards, programming).
Tony McGovern (guitar and vocals)
Charlotte Hodson ? background vocals
Nicole Patterson ? background vocals
The first track on the album ?Telephone X? has quite a heavy feel to it, and Sharleen?s vocals are quite subdued by the sheer volume of the instruments during the track. The song deals with telephone sex, and as you would expect, the
lyrics are quite suggestive. I was slightly disappointed with this song, mainly because the music seemed so angry, and detracted from the vocals, making it a strange choice for the opening number on the album.
?Broken? has a computerised influence with many sound effects thrown in for good measure. Although the song is ultimately sad, and deals with trials and tribulations of relationships, the music manages to keep it buoyant and upbeat and makes it work.
?Carnival Girl? has recently been released as a single, and features MC Kardinal Offishall who is quite famous in the rap world, although I had never heard of him before listening to the album. As the title suggests, the song has a carnival air, and fairground instruments can be heard at the beginning. Sharleen is at her absolute best on this track, her vocals lending a smokey tone, interspersed with the rugged vocals of Offishall. The song is again about relationships, and although this one has broken down, the message to move on and have a party atmosphere in your life, is loud and clear.
?I?ll see it through? was the second single released from the album, in December 2003. The track is very atmospheric, the piano and violins being the main instruments. Sharleen?s vocals on this track are simply outstanding, conveying huge emotion throughout. A ballad telling of pure unadulterated love, and the rewards it can bring. Beautiful.
There is no subtle introduction to ?Where did you sleep?? Instead the music is introduced immediately to the track, and the fastly strummed guitar slightly overshadows the vocals. The song is about betrayal in a relationship and Sharleen again captures the moment wonderfully with the anger evident in her voice.
?And I Dream? begins with a slide guitar creating an echoing backdrop, and tells of how easy it is to dream, but the real
world will always be there to give you a short sharp shock. The musical effects on this are great, and it develops into a rock-based track, veering slightly away from the more mainstream music that Texas have always created in the past.
?Careful what you wish for? has an almost Eighties feel to it, and the slightly distorted vocals of Sharleen lend an interesting slant to the track, which tells the story of a man who has vision of a girl he met way back in his youth in his mind. The song questions whether the reality is as good as the memory, and asks whether he will be disappointed.
?Big Sleep? is the shortest track on the album at only just over two minutes in length, and deals with the experience of dreams after a long day. A slow track, and the background music lends a surreal dreamlike feel to the song.
?Under your skin? is a more uptempo number and has a heavy keyboard and drum influence. This is another relationship song, and tells of an almost obsessive relationship, when in the end, the easiest thing to do was walk away, albeit with another person.
?You said we're meant to be together, you left with someone I know
Took one bite straight from the apple, and now my love has flown?
?Carousel Dub? is the dub version of ?Carnival Girl?. The track begins with a reggae feel with a very deep bass beat, and squealing, echoing synthesizer noises. There are some background vocals, but it is mainly an instrumental song having a futuristic feel. Great track.
?Place in my world? has a great techno beginning, and the vocals of Sharleen have an echoing feel to them. The message of this song is about love, peace and contentment. Quite a ?moody? track, and a great funky beat.
The final track ?Another Day? is a message that every day brings a new meaning, and to go out and start afresh,
if the day before has been bad. One could be forgiven for thinking this is a U2 track, from the beginning guitar riff. A great track to end on, as I defy anyone not to be tapping their feet by the end of it.
?And all the seasons change their scent
A year of hell they come against my head once more?
Texas are back and they are here to stay. With the exception of the first track, the tracks on the album are all solid. Although there are many moods and different musical styles on the album, Sharleen?s voice is at its best, and seldom have I heard her sound so good. She conveys every single emotion beautifully, and the addition of rap singers on this album, together with funk and techno, will surely make it popular with both the young and old.
Full marks for Texas for taking a break and not becoming stale. They are back with a vengeance!
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Daniel K - 24/03/04 This is an album i'm hoping to get, so a useful review for me, well-written and detailed. :-) |
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