Released: 28 May 2021
Texas go on a musical journey on their brilliant new album ‘Hi’.
The record, the 10th from the Sharleen Spiteri-fronted group, was conceived after the band unearthed unreleased recordings from their ‘White on Blonde’ sessions.
“Our excitement at finding this treasure trove of songs collided with our excitement back then and, unplanned, new songs started coming,” Sharleen says.
“You could say we were inspired by ourselves!”
Kicking off with a bout of nostalgia, radio hit Mr Haze showcases Sharleen’s distinctive vocals over a sample of Donna Summer classic Love’s Unkind.
It’s a reintroduction to the group, which recently celebrated 30 years in the charts, and a defiant statement that, three decades on, their music is as fresh as ever.
Perhaps revisiting tracks from the ‘90s sessions kickstarted their creativity, with ‘Hi’ hopping between genres with ease with the group as the central thread running through the tunes.
Segueing seamlessly from disco to hip-hop with the Wu Tang Clan collaboration Hi – the album’s namesake track and lead single – there really is no agenda here, it’s just Texas doing what they do best.
Tracks like Just Want to Be Liked and Look What You’ve Done, a duet with Altered Images’ Clare Grogan, are uptempo earworms that defy you to get up and dance, while Unbelievable is a rare ballad from the rockers, with Sharleen’s lush, layered harmonies elevating the number.
There’s an intimacy to much of the LP; promo track Moonshine is a light, country-tinged ditty, with the introspective Dark Fire, co-written with Richard Hawley, harkens back to the band’s high school days.
Even rock’n’roll inspired numbers like Sound of My Voice manage not to sound distant thanks to Shalreen’s soft, somewhat whispered delivery, which sounds more the product of a jam session than a manufactured studio recording.
“All our albums have cinematic songs,” Sharleen reflects of the band’s songwriting process.
“[Italian composer Ennio] Morricone in particular is still a huge influence. We’re referencing our past but also writing from the position we’re in now.
“Being able to stand back from what you’ve achieved gives you a different perspective. Our aim has only ever been to make great music.”
Each song is it’s own entity, like vignettes of Texas looking back down the years, with a warmth and familiarity that’s not only refreshing, but that makes ‘Hi’ one of their strongest, most enjoyable albums.
‘Hi’ is out now.
