"I'm a firm believer that every time you sit down to write a song you should try and write a hit record." So says Sharleen Spiteri, a singer and songwriter who already knows more than a thing or two about hit records as the frontwoman of Texas. Formed in Glasgow in 1986, Texas were one of the great success stories of '90s pop, selling over one and a half million copies of their 1996 album White On Blonde in the UK alone. In a decade dominated by male guitar bands, Spiteri was a welcome female alternative, blessed with a smooth, soulful voice but unafraid to strap on her black 1967 Telecaster guitar and rock out with the best of them. By 2005, Texas could boast a staggering 15 platinum discs (six-a-piece for White On Blonde and 2000's Greatest Hits, another three for 1999's The Hush) and 13 top ten hits including such modern pop classics as 'Say What You Want', 'Summer Son' and their bluesy 1989 debut, 'I Don't Want A Lover'. ...show more

"I'm a firm believer that every time you sit down to write a song you should try and write a hit record." So says Sharleen Spiteri, a singer and songwriter who already knows more than a thing or two about hit records as the frontwoman of Texas. Formed in Glasgow in 1986, Texas were one of the great success stories of '90s pop, selling over one and a half million copies of their 1996 album White On Blonde in the UK alone. In a decade dominated by male guitar bands, Spiteri was a welcome female alternative, blessed with a smooth, soulful voice but unafraid to strap on her black 1967 Telecaster guitar and rock out with the best of them. By 2005, Texas could boast a staggering 15 platinum discs (six-a-piece for White On Blonde and 2000's Greatest Hits, another three for 1999's The Hush) and 13 top ten hits including such modern pop classics as 'Say What You Want', 'Summer Son' and their bluesy 1989 debut, 'I Don't Want A Lover'.

"Texas are my family and they'll always be there," says Sharleen. "But after the last record, everybody decided they wanted to do different things and different projects. I had to think about what I wanted to do with my life, on top of which my life was going through some big personal changes. So I just decided, that's it.

I need to make a solo record and step up to the challenge. When I told the boys in Texas, they just said, 'Great. You go for it.' So I did." The result is Melody - the stunning solo debut from the face and voice of one of the biggest British bands of recent times. Not only did Sharleen write the whole album, she also produced it, taking complete artistic control of its every sonic nuance. ...show less