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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Texas have found their sound and it is beautiful., 5 Dec 1999
By A Customer
There's one thing you can always say about Texas - never underestimate them. That so many people do is why White On Blond came from nowhere to become, quite possibly, the most accomplished album of 1997. In spite of that awe-inspiring album, and as succesful as it was, people still thought nothing of them for two years. Now, The Hush has arrived with minimal fanfare and is, whilst not the best of the year, certainly one of the most comfortable, developed and secure sounding albums you'll ever hear.Spiteri and Co. have found the music they've always wanted to make and work it to breaking point. The evolution from Southside to WoB to this is so obvious you'll wonder why you didn't see it coming. Listen to Summer Son and you'll hear Abba bubbliness mixing with Springsteen grit. Move In is Motown smoothness combined with Spice Girl sass. Day After Day is every beautiful emotion you've ever felt sung by the voice of an angel. Spiteri of course takes centre stage on all of them but after hearing the songs you wouldn't have it any way. Whether breathing the words on the title track or piercing them into you on Tell Me The Answer she remains the glue that keeps the tracks together. And yet listen to Saint. This one track is quite possibly the finest song they've ever produced and is the combination of all the bands efforts. That should serve to remind people that although Sharleen gets all the press she's merely the most visible member of an extremely accomplished band that are making the music they want to and are damn good at it. Blasphemous as this will sound I don't think the album is as good as WoB. That album was almost musical perfection and the majority of tracks here are just slightly weaker. There isn't a single bad track but there's no Halo or Black Eyed Boy to rush the adrenalin, no Put Your Arms Around Me to sway to or Polo Mint City to chill to. Not that it really matters. Texas are the band that will push British pop music into the next millenium. Not Steps, Billie or anyone else. They're as essential to the genre as Madonna and they're finally doing what they've always wanted to. The future is bright. The future is Hushed.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is a brilliant album., 10 April 2000
By A Customer
Put simply, "The Hush" is a brilliant album. Texas re-invented themselves with their last effort, "White On Blonde", and this new collection continues with that great new sound. Almost every song could be a single. Sharleen's voice has never sounded better, becoming heart-breaking on the lyric "I love you to death" from "Saint". The album kicks off with the first single "In Our Lifetime", which reached number 4 in the UK. The song really grows on you, with the Oriental feel and the last chorus sounds like a hundred Sharleens on harmony vocals. Then comes the Prince-like "Tell Me The Answer". I have to admit that I didn't really like this song at first but, after repeated listening, it's now one of my favourite tracks. Sharleen sings falsetto and the song just has a really groovy (sorry - I couldn't think of a better word) feel to it. The chorus is sure to be a sing-along in concert with its "come on, come on, come on" refrain. "Summer Son" is going to be the next single and it's not hard to see why. It's a rocker with a disco beat (it could almost be Blondie" with low vocals from Sharleen this time. "Sunday Afternoon" and "Move In" are swaying, soulful songs and the breathless backing vocals make them sexy. "When We Are Together" picks up the pace again and has a Motown feel to it. "Day After Day" is another one of those 'groovy' songs. Then there's a brief instrumental interlude in the form of "Zero Zero" which sounds like something else but I can't put my finger on it. "Saint" is easily the most beautiful soung on the album (yes, I'm a sucker for slow, love songs!). The chorus to "Girl" sounds a bit like Lauryn Hill's "Doo Wop (ThatThing)" but that's no bad thing. the title track is perhaps the only song that wouldn't make it as a single, although the harp is a nice touch. The album ends with "The Day Before I Went Away" which is a beautiful leaving song with space sound effects. The playing on the album is faultless, as usual, Ally's guitar work - amazing, Johnny's basslines - inventive and Eddie's keyboards wonderful.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb, 8 Oct 2000
By A Customer
I bought The Hush some 18 months ago on the recommendation of a friend who I was doing some work for. She said I wouldn't regret it.18 months on I finally recorded it onto my MD Recorder and listened to it one morning on the way into work on the train. First time I was blown away. The chart hits were predictably good as I'd heard them before but then track 9, "Saint", came along and I couldn't believe what I was hearing. So good, I listened to the entire album again. This is now available for a decent price and if you buy it just for one of the chart songs, don't make the mistake that I did and throw it aside for a while. It's a grower, and quite possibly the best album I've listened to this year. No regrets for buying.
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