Texas
Careful What You Wish For

THE REVIEW

If there's one thing that dies hard, it's prejudice. Even Piero Pelù with the Litfiba back in the day sang "You can win a war in two and maybe even alone... but it's harder to change an idea". There's nothing worse than a baseless prejudice. Like, if a woman is labeled as a whore (and maybe it's not true), or if someone is branded as a natural vagabond (and even this isn't true). Well, the more they strive to make one appear pure and immaculate and the other an unwavering and tireless example of living workaholism, the more their attitude will be misinterpreted.

In particular, the Scottish Texas led by Sharleen Spiteri, active since 1989, didn't particularly distinguish themselves in the music world until 2003 (the year this album was released).

Authors of a canonical and rather bland UK-branded pop, which nevertheless yielded them significant commercial returns, over time they have greatly refined their art as well as the sex appeal of Sharleen Spiteri, the singer and frontwoman of the group, who graces the band's album covers with her charming presence. However, this time the leap forward is dramatic and the prejudices are bound to collapse.

It's true that occasionally their manner peeks through, as in the case of "Broken" and "And I Dream" where the specter of Madonna (the singer, I mean) looms and certain connections to the recent past are evident, but tracks like "Carnival Girl", "Another Day", "Careful What You Wish For", "Carousel Dub", and "Place In My World" unequivocally testify to their awareness and desire to reach a more mature audience, when previously the target was almost exclusively post-adolescent.

The rap inserts and the approach towards dub rhythms, always measured and never over the top, make it a varied and multifaceted work demonstrating the exponential growth of the Spiteri-McElhone duo, co-authors of the entire tracklist. Amidst all this hustle, they don't even disdain a foray into country territory with the sweet ballad "Big Sleep".

Their five previous albums compared to this come out irreparably broken, but even the Greatest Hits released just three years before risks being suspended for manifest inferiority.

Oh! Sharleen, I would listen to you for hours and hours singing "Carnival Girl". Oh! Sharleen, you have grown a lot as an artist and as a woman. Oh! Sharleen, your poses have a unique sinuosity and sensuality. Oh! Sharleen...