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from The Scotsman by Malcolm Jack PANTO season is long over, but this audience didn't seem to care as Sharleen Spiteri explained why she chose to begin her debut solo tour in Aberdeen ("boo!") and Edinburgh ("hiss, boo!") before her native Glasgow. Those shows were just "warm-ups" for this homecoming gig, the Texas singer placated them, to roars of approval. After 21 years, Spiteri has taken temporary leave of her band to strike out by herself in the zeitgeisty guise of a sultry 1960s soul siren. Her debut solo album Melody is well crafted, but you could sing the songs that influenced most tracks comfortably over the top of them – single All the Times I Cried being a particularly blatant steal from The Shangri-Las. The crowd seemed to enjoy the new stuff, if not as much as they did the various Texas hits played too, among which I Don't Want a Lover – remade as a Johnny Cash-style rockabilly ramalama – stood out. Inner Smile got the biggest cheer, after Spiteri emerged for the encore in a short red dress that appeared to get a standing ovation all of its own. |