Texas and Spooner Oldham - The Muscle Shoals Sessions

by Nick Dent-Robinson

published: 4 / 5 / 2024

Texas and Spooner Oldham - The Muscle Shoals Sessions

Label: Play It Again Sam
Format: CD

Stripped down but impressive joint album between Glasgow band Texas and veteran keyboardist Spooner Oldham

Review

Back in the late 1980s, when Glasgow band Texas made their debut, singer Sharleen Spiteri was a guitar-slinging rocker who idolised Chrissie Hynde and The Clash. But, over time, the band have found American soul music has been a more enduring source of inspiration. Their newly released album, ‘The Muscle Shoals Sessions’ reaffirms this. The new record was made in the Alabama city of that name with veteran keyboardist Dewey Lindon Oldham Jr. (who has long been nicknamed Spooner after he was blinded in one eye by a spoon falling from a shelf!). The album features 11 familiar Texas songs plus three covers all played in a new stripped-down style. Oldham, who is now 80, is a leading figure in Southern soul and he played on Percy Sledge's ‘When A Man Loves A Woman’ and on Aretha Franklin's ‘I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)’. He has lost none of his amazing touch and his delicate piano work brings out the very best in Sharleen Spiteri who delivers some of her best-ever performances on the new album. The focus is mainly on tracks from the 1990s when Texas were first experimenting with R & B on their albums ‘White On Blonde’ and ‘The Hush’. Sharleen works perfectly with her backing singers on ‘Summer Son’ and ‘Halo’ is nicely bolstered by simple strings. The covers work well and fit the mood perfectly. ‘Would I Lie To You?’ was a 1992 hit for retro-soul duo Charles & Eddie and the performance of The Drifters' ‘Save The Last Dance’ is beautiful. ‘The Muscle Shoals Sessions’ is a really strong album from Texas – and the band will be touring the UK in the Autumn, starting on 3 September at Connexin Live, Hull.

Track Listing:-

1 Halo
2 Mr Haze
3 Summer Son
4 Say What You Want
5 Keep On Talking
6 The Conversation
7 In Demand
8 Would I Lie To You
9 Let's Work It Out
10 Black Eyed Boy
11 Everyday Now
12 I Don't Want A Lover
13 In Our Lifetime
14 Save The Last Dance