Texas flex their “rock soul muscle” on their upcoming 10th studio album, ‘Hi’.
Three years ago, Sharleen Spiteri and bass guitarist Johnny McElhone stumbled on some outtakes from the Scottish rock group’s 1997 LP ‘White on Blonde’ and had intended on turning them into a “lost album”, but they were instead inspired to pen new tracks in the same vein, which make up the follow-up to 2017’s ‘Jump on Board’.
Bandleader Sharleen 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!”
Three of the songs were written in lockdown, in Scotland, Wales, Los Angeles and Sweden.
The record includes the collaborations ‘Dark Fire’ co-written with Richard Hawley and ‘Look What You’ve Done’, a duet with former Altered Images star Clare Grogan.
Fans can also expect a rare piano ballad called ‘Unbelievable’.
Sharleen admitted: “We don’t usually do ballads.
“But this one really stuck. The words are very intimate and personal while the music sounds really epic.”
Once again, the ‘I Don’t Want a Lover’ hitmakers sourced inspiration from legendary Italian composer Ennio Morricone.
Sharing the influences behind the tracks, she added: “All our albums have cinematic songs.
“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.”
The album’s title is the same name as the single featuring Wu-Tang Clan.
The two groups previously collaborated on a version of Texas’s hit ‘Say What You Want’ at the 1998 BRIT Awards, and archive footage from that performance features in the video for the track, before segueing into a new video starring ‘Smal Axe’ actor Kadeem Ramsay, which is directed by Fenn O’Meally.
The track came about after Sharleen met with Wu-Tang’s RZA in Glasgow in 2019 during the filming of a documentary and he subsequently recorded vocals on the track, and Ghostface Killah also agreed to feature on the song.
Sharleen recently reflected on their previous collaboration and admitted she was “high” when she left the recording studio.
She said: “If you’ve sat in the studio with the whole of the Wu-Tang Clan, if you’re not high by the time you come out of the room you’re not breathing the same air.”
‘Hi’ the album is released on May 28.
Meanwhile, Texas will embark on a UK and Ireland tour in February and March 2022.
The track-listing for ‘Hi” is:
1. ‘Mr Haze’
2. ‘Hi’ with Wu-Tang Clan
3. ‘Just Want To Be Liked’
4. ‘Unbelievable’
5. ‘Moonstar’
6. ‘Dark Fire’
7. ‘Look What You’ve Done’
8. ‘Heaven Knows’
9. ‘You Can Call Me’
10. ‘Sound of My Voice’
11. ‘Falling’
12. ‘Hi’ (Single Mix)
13. ‘Had A Hard Day’
14. ‘Had to Leave’