Texas is a living legend! I'm 50 years old since june and this band has been part of my youth and still performs at a high level and still launches brand new tracks that are worth listening too! I took my time for this trip down to memory lane and also enjoyed the new(er) tracks!
Say What You want is the first track and directly one that I clearly remember: the fragile voice, the pop/rock sound who was crafted to perfection, the revolting lyrics … The vocal part reminded me slightly of Cindy Lauper, btw.
Black Eyed Boy had already a retro sound when it was released. The song has a black soul (a bit like The Ronettes, known from Be My Baby), a good body and a catchy chorus whilst the vocals are really top! The song was clearly supposed to be a hit and it was indeed!
Inner Smile was her ode to Elvis Presley and became a hit. The vocals go sky high and the song has clearly a lovely spring feeling!
Mr Haze is lesser known to me and is also a more recent song (recorded during Covid-19 lockdown). The song is described as a "soul soaked" Motown-inspired track, paying tribute to Donna Summer's influence by using a sample. Speaking about the inspiration and background for the song, lead singer Sharleen Spiteri said "Our excitement at finding this treasure trove of songs collided with our excitement back then and, unplanned, new songs started coming. You could say we were inspired by ourselves".
Halo uses strings, has a strong and catchy chorus and gives an overall good feeling whilst listening to it. I remember this song vaguely and it wasn’t indeed a huge hit (despite being really good).
I Don’t Want A Lover is one of those songs I clearly remember. The song starts with a Bon Jovi touch (when he went Texas style with a lot of gringo’s watching from the Side-Line). The Blues sliding guitar is a great touch, just as the guy who could have been Toots (yup the legend from Belgium). For me that was a great discovery back then and the start of a great story in the world of music!
Summer Son is a very catchy song, with a fresh feeling and yet mixing Abba and Garbage. The song also has a very sensual touch and was one of their biggest hits so far!
Keep On Talking is a brand-new track and yet sounds like a classic Texas track with catchy vocals and a good feeling on top! You can feel the soul and the love!
The Conversation was launched in 2009, is a bit unknown for me. The song has cool backings and a soft rock sound.
In Our Lifetime had not only a very sexy cover as a single but also sounds the same way as the cover. You can feel that the romance and love is in the air! I also hear a bit of Siouxsie and the Banshees (Hong Kong Garden).
In Demand is a song from 2000 and is overloaded by sweetness and soft rock.
Put Your Arms Around Me was launched in 1997 and is some kind of a ballad. The end is a bit sudden, but it’s a great track!
Let’s Work It Out was released in 2017 and was a big hit in Belgium. Sadly, I only remember it vaguely. It’s a smooth single with a sensual feeling and a catchy feeling. The lyrics are really great and I love the message behind the song! The sweet end is really topping it!
When We Are Together is from 1999 and appears again in my memories once I start listing to it again. It has a retro 60’s sound with a small disco layer. Feel the positive vibe of the song and start moving with your arms, dance and turn around like one shiny happy person!
Hi has a warm sound and a classic R&B touch. The chorus is hot and has a 70’s disco sound in it. Ghostface Killah stars in this track too!
Say What You Want (All day every day) features Wu-Tang Clan members Method Man and RZA to remix the song as "Say What You Want (All Day, Every Day)". This version features Method Man and RZA on vocals and was released as a single in March 1998, peaking at number four on the UK Singles Chart and reaching the top 10 in Iceland, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. This is clearly one of the songs I remember from the past. This one was clearly different from all of the previous tracks.
Tired Of Being Alone is a soul song written by American singer Al Green and appears here in a warm cover version. It’s a good version that shine’s a new light on it.
Start A Family feat. Alan Rickman starts as a spoken word. Later on, we get a pop rock track filled with a bit of soul and with a tiny layer of gospel.
So Called Friend was out in 1993 and has a more country & blues touch.
Everyday Now also sounds a bit like country, thinking about Cowboy Junkies. The song comes from an EP with the same name (1989).
Insane has strings, a bombastic feel and could have been written by Hooverphonic, but Texas was first (1998). I like the soft trumpet sound.
After All is a brand new single and sounds like looking back at a long career, with the
ups & downs. The sweet sound here might mean it was in the end a great trip! I hear a bit of a melancholic touch.
Sleep Feat. Paul Buchanan is a hit from 2006 and is basically bounding 2 Scottish artists! The song is not bad at all, a bit sweet but not sticky.
So In Love With You is from 1994 and has a bombastic touch with vocals that reach pretty high. One might call it a ballad (because of the strings and the slow tempo). The more explosive end is really a great thing!
! It’s a long career and with this overview it was easy to oversee it, just wished they would have put the song in chronological order, to make it easier. Well it was a nice trip. I noticed I forgot or missed some songs over the years as I wasn’t really following this band, but this new best of made it all up for me. The new songs are worth it but I don’t feel a big hit in it (just that After All deserves the airplay)!
