Dial 'S' for Sharleen
from the Daily Record - 19 August 2003

Scots pop goddess in praise of phone sex on her new album John Dingwall Exclusive

SHARLEEN SPITERI'S Texas have recorded their raunchiest record yet, inspired by phone sex sessions.

The group have enlisted producer Trevor Horn - the brains behind Eighties dance hits such as Frankie Goes To Hollywood's Relax and Grace Jones's Slave To The Rhythm - for a track called Telephone X, on the forthcoming Texas album Careful What You Wish For.

The subject matter of Telephone X is based on phone sex sessions between the band's keyboards player and a mystery call-girl. Sharleen revealed: "Telephone sex is better than all that really sinister Internet chatroom stuff, that's all I'm saying. But that is a dark sex song and Trevor Horn understood it totally.

"He made just about the most expensive record of all time in the Eighties, Slave To The Rhythm.

"Weirdly, our keyboard player Eddie knows this strange woman, who was born in the Eighties and who will only talk to him by telephone."

She believes die-hard Texas fans will get a surprise when they hear the new album and adds: "This whole album actually all connects in strange ways."

Then, in a touch of Beatles irony, she says: "If you play it backwards all the songs sound really strange, too."

The band believe they have come up with their best album yet, citing The Strokes and Blondie among their influences.

Sharleen's band partner Johnny McElhone adds: "That whole New York new wave thing feels fresh, because bands are back in. How can you be cynical about real musicians making really good pop records? It's what we've always believed in."

Sharleen added: "Johnny and I shared this huge love of early Blondie when we first met in the late Eighties and also of very early Siouxsie and the Banshees.

"So all these punky guitar bands now emerging in the wake of The Strokes are inspiring to some extent."

Tracks on the album include And I Dream, Place In My World and Another Day and See It Through, written in an inspired half- hour with former Guy Chambers, best known for his work with Robbie Williams.

The first single from it, Carnival Girl - which features rapper Kardinal Offishal - is released on October 6.

Sharleen explains: "Kardinal came in and shaped it with us." He was like, `let's make it a story every homegirl everywhere can relate to'. He didn't just bang out some quick rap in a spare hour."

The album was recorded in several studios, London, Liverpool, New York and Glasgow.


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