... “White On Blonde” has a lot to live up to being the title track, but I am afraid to say it threatens to carry on where the last track left off until the more upbeat chorus saves it.
“Postcard” always reminds me of 1990’s indie darlings Elastica, and I really like it. I can imagine Sharleen ... Read review
A review by nicanddarrell on White On Blonde - Texas October 9th, 2004
Author's product rating:
Originality
Average
Lyrics
Standard
Quality and consistency of tracks
A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases
Outstanding
Value for Money
Advantages:
A solid album with few low points
Disadvantages:
Damn fillers !
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Texas are the kind of band where I cannot decide if I like them a little or a lot. At times I have been known to rave about them, but then they release a single or an album which lets me down a little and then it takes me a while to come around to listening to them again. When this album was released, I liked a couple of the singles which had been released, so decided to give it a go.From the off, I want to say that whether the music the band release is to my taste, I always love Sharleen Spiteri’s voice.
The album does not get off to the best of starts with “0.34”, which is basically just over half a minute of instrumental nothingness. I immediately skip fillers like this, and for the life of me I just cannot understand why so many bands think the listener would want these nuisances included amongst the decent music. However the band quickly redeem themselves with the true album opener “Say What You Want”. Sharleen’s vocals show a softer side on this track, although since I saw her perform it with Method Man at the Brits many years ago, this version has always fallen just short of the mark as the one off version has a bit more bite to it which turns it from a good track into something brilliant.
The opening of ”Drawing Crazy Patterns” has a country feel about it, and is more upbeat and airy than the last track. It is an excellent track, which would have done well as a single release in my opinion. Sharleen’s vocals are effortlessly beautiful, and she stands head and shoulders above some of the so called female vocalists which are finding themselves blessed with more success than their talent deserves.
”Halo” is one of the more well known tracks on the album as it was released as a single. It is a stylish track which deserved the commercial success it received, and sounds more like the earlier, more gritty raw material Texas released than anything else on this album, and it works very well as a contrast to the more pop based songs which they seem to steer towards a lot of the time nowadays.
My out and out favourite track on the album is the sublime “Put Your Arms Around Me”. Sharleen’s vocals ooze warmth and sexuality more than I have ever heard before. She is a really attractive woman, but I thought in the early days she tried to play this down too much in order for her to be taken seriously as a musician, and made herself appear almost asexual at times. This ballad sees her vocals rise above the music, and it is the ultimate in chill out/lose yourself music.
”Insane” starts off as another quite seductive track, then it turns into a really emotional and touching song, where the pain is evident in Sharleen’s voice, making me presume this song is based more on personal experience. The album has now started to really impress me by this point, and although I feel quite chilled out listening to this and the previous track, and I am always eager to listen to what will follow.
My eagerness is always satisfied by the Motown throwback singalong “Black Eyed Boy”. This song combines so many influences it would be easy for it to sound like a mess, but instead the band give us an upbeat, soul based anthem, which gained Texas a whole new group of fans who liked this more in your face approach from a band who are sometimes criticized for being too middle of the road.
”Polo Mint City” changes the pace and the mood again, although I am not quite sure it works. There is an annoying chiming noise in the background, and the song quickly seems to lose direction then ends rather abruptly, earning it my duff track on the album title. “White On Blonde” has a lot to live up to being the title track, but I am afraid to say it threatens to carry on where the last track left off until the more upbeat chorus saves it.
“Postcard” always reminds me of 1990’s indie darlings Elastica, and I really like it. I can imagine Sharleen vamping it up whilst singing this song, and drawing the audience in with her performance. Filler “0.25” comes next…enough said. “Ticket To Lie” has Texas written all over it, and even if another vocalist sang this song, musically it would always remind me of Texas. It is a really good, more rock influenced track which has some of the best lyrics on the whole album, and shows once again just how versatile this band are.
Penultimate track ”Good Advice” hints at disco tones with the opening few bars, and then turns into a bit of a jazzfest, although at times I struggle to really hear Sharleen’s voice which can become an annoyance as it just sounds like the mix is wrong, and that is the only production flaw I can mention on the whole album. “Breathless” brings the album to an upbeat grand finale, and leaves me feeling pretty impressed every time I listen to it.
This album does not fit into a specific genre, although the rock/pop pigeonhole is where it would probably fit best, although there is more soul in this album than on any other Texas album that I have listened to, and a Motown influence is very apparent on some of the tracks. The production is very slick, although stopping short of giving a sound which would be too polished to be credible. For me, it is an underrated album, and certainly rates as one of my favourites from the 1990’s, although the fillers that I hate so much stop it from being in my Top 10!!!
Advantages: Distinctive voice? Catchy tunes? Inoffensive MOR? Disadvantages: The feeling you’re hearing filtered versions of other tunes AND not very good ones at that....
Some listeners have discernable tastes and some just get lost in the music AND don’t care how the writer or the performer managed to create such songs....I do.
‘Texas’ are an infuriating band to listen to as the influences are racked up one after the other without much care or regard of subtly hiding them (the copyright lawyers should have been having a field day with this one BUT no calls have been fielded to Texas’ lawyers ... ...say).
I could hate ‘Texas’ for that one fact alone BUT there are reasons to like them.
The light rockers pump out a discernable bunch of likeable enough but occasionally repetitive songs that don’t seem to want to milk your pity on this album AND do seem to have a little bit of soul in them as the singles that have been put out such as ‘Black Eyed Boy’, ‘Halo’, the ubetiqous ‘Say What You Want’ ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
This album went to number one in the charts with big sales with the help of Chris Evans. Shorleen Spliteri appeared on his show time and again, plugging what was to be a brilliant album. This album was their biggest hit and put Texas back into the charts where they rightfully belong with some good songs like “Say what u want” which was around the charts for ages. My favourite song was “Halo”, this song was also a big hit and it was one that stayed ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
...like this album.
White on the 'White on Blonde' album include:
0.34 Say What You Want Drawing Crazy Patterns Halo
Put Your Arms Around Me Insane
Black Eyed Boy Polo Mint City White On Blonde Postcard
0.25 Ticket To Lie Good Advice Breathless ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Relaxing. Music to have a glass of wine on a Summer's day by Disadvantages: The singles were remixed, therefore the album versions are different
Remember Texas. They did the excellent album "Southside" in 1989 and then disappeared from the face of the Earth. Well, actually they didn't. They produced 2 fairly average albums before the rather lovely "White On Blonde".
If it hadn't have been for Chris Evens promoting "Say What You Want" on the Radio One breakfast show this fine album might not have had the attention, and sales, it deserved.
It is a fine relaxing album with such good vocals ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: An excellent album with lots of variation Disadvantages: None
“White on Blonde” was the album which put Texas back on the map in 1997, and there is no doubting it is a superb album.
It has 14 tracks on it, including the singles “Say What You Want”, “Halo” and “Black Eyed Boy” (my personal favourite track). If you are looking for a less heralded track recommendation try listening to “Drawing Crazy Patterns”, also a superb song. Indeed many of the additional tracks on this album would have been successful singles.
...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: A timeless classic Disadvantages: None
...Ever wonder how people choose their internet names?
'LyricalT' is a shortened version of Lyrical Trainspotter - the title of the final, hidden track on this remarkable album. Being a Mansun fan for over three years and being fortunate enough to support them on tour, it seemed the obvious choice.
The album opens with a string composition, "The Chad Who Loved Me" (Dominic Chad being the band's guitarist), which combines perfectly with Chad's guitar solo. Two of the bands more famous releases, namely "Wide Open Space" and "Stripper Vicar", came from this album. This is one of only a handful of albums I've ever listened to, and really can't find a weak song anywhere. The only other albums I'd say this about are Texas' "White on Blonde" and Travis' "The Man Who".
Attack of the Grey Lantern also features the track behind...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: see article Disadvantages: see article
...Texas in my opinion had a massive job to do to follow 'White on Blonde' and although the album is very good I do not think its as good as White on Blonde.
There are a couple of catchy tunes and singles for example 'In Our Lifetime' and 'Summer Son'. To me the album is more likely to be remembered by the video of Summer Son where Sharleen Spiteri does a fantastic job of being made love to by the Sun - hot.
Its still worth a listen to please do not let me put you off it....
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
Advantages: A really good album Disadvantages: None that I can think of
...Texas gave themselves a tough task in trying to live up to their previous album, White On Blonde, but The Hush is certainly an album they can be proud of.
There are a number of excellent tracks, most notably ?Summer Son?. Singles ?When We Are Together? and ?Once In A Lifetime? also feature, although once again it is some of the less heralded tracks which shine through, most notably ?Day After Day?.
The tracks are excellent, again showing a diversity many groups do not have. It is not just the music which is versatile, as Sharleen Spiteri?s voice is the perfect foil on all the tracks. It can be either punchy or mellow, although I dare say that her part in the songwriting process helps this along.
An excellent CD and one which you?ll have no trouble listening to over and over again....
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Album Notes: Texas: Sharleen Spiteri (vocals, guitar, programming); Ally McErlaine (guitar, programming); Eddie Campbell (keyboards, programming); Johnny McElhone (bass, programming); Richard Hynd (drums, programming). Additional personnel: Roger Ward (guitar); Claire Miles, Anne Stephenson, Sally Herbert, Claire Orsler, Susan Dench, Gini Ball, Chris Pitsillide (strings); Alex Silva, Terry Disley (keyboards, programming); Paul Taylor (programming); Steven Granville (background vocals). Producers: Texas, Mike Hedges, Dave Stewart, Rae, Christian. Engineers include: Texas, Kenny Macdonald, Ian Grimble. Texas were generally felt to have peaked with their debut album; Rick's Road continued a downward sales spiral, even though it contained some strong material. This album was a pleasant surprise, picking up awards everywhere and still selling in large quantities. For a band who might have been looking over their shoulders, this is a supremely confident album, full of good songs written by the band and, in particular, by Sharleen Spiteri and ex-Altered Image John McElhone. Respectable rock for the 90s, from the full production of tracks such as 'Halo' to the chiming tension created by 'Put Your Arms Around Me'.
Album Reviews: Q (10/01, p.55) - Ranked #34 in Q's "Best 50 Albums of Q's Lifetime" - "...'The' late-'90s album: shiny, sparkly and brimming with humor and tunes..." Q (12/99, p.92) - Included in Q Magazine's "90 Best Albums Of The 1990s." Q (1/98, p.115) - Included in Q Magazine's "50 Best Albums of 1997."
Titles on disc 1
1.: 0.30
2.: Say What You Want
3.: Drawing Crazy Patterns
4.: Halo
5.: Put Your Arms Around Me
6.: Insane
7.: Black Eyed Boy
8.: Polo Mint City
9.: White On Blonde
10.: Postcard
11.: 0.25
12.: Ticket To Lie
13.: Good Advice
14.: Breathless
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Listed on Ciao since : 28/06/2000
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