The Muscle Shoals Sessions Texas & Spooner Oldham

• 1 Halo (The Muscle Shoals Sessions) 03:09
• 2 Mr Haze (The Muscle Shoals Sessions) 03:13
• 3 Summer Son (The Muscle Shoals Sessions) 03:42
• 4 Say What You Want (The Muscle Shoals Sessions) 03:31
• 5 Keep On Talking (The Muscle Shoals Sessions) 03:05
• 6 The Conversation (The Muscle Shoals Sessions) 02:53
• 7 In Demand (The Muscle Shoals Sessions) 03:08
• 8 Would I Lie To You (The Muscle Shoals Sessions) 03:43
• 9 Let's Work It Out (The Muscle Shoals Sessions) 02:58
• 10 Black Eyed Boy (The Muscle Shoals Sessions) 03:06
• 11 Everyday Now (The Muscle Shoals Sessions) 02:51
• 12 I Don't Want A Lover (The Muscle Shoals Sessions) 03:35
• 13 In Our Lifetime (The Muscle Shoals Sessions) 03:32
• 14 Save The Last Dance (The Muscle Shoals Sessions) 03:42
• Total Runtime 46:08

Info for The Muscle Shoals Sessions

Recorded at the renowned 'Fame Recording Studio' in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, during the summer of 2022, the album features twelve of Texas’ greatest hits, and two covers ('Would I Lie To You' by Charles and Eddie and 'Save The Last Dance' by The Drifters) - reimagined and laid bare. Stripped back to their bare bones, guided by the soulful voice of Sharleen Spiteri, accompanied by the delicate piano lines of Spooner Oldham, the songs simply shine in this format and prove their worth as sheer standalone timeless classics.

Sharleen Spiteri says of the experience; “To have the option to go to Muscle Shoals to record was like being a little kid in a sweet shop. Working with Spooner was inspiring, fun and he’s just a wonderful human being. The fact that Northern Soul music has been such a massive influence for Texas made the fit with Spooner just right. Him writing ‘Keep On Talking’ was essential to us recording it for this album.”

On adapting the tracks for the album, Sharleen continues; “To reimagine the classics and break them down so you hear the clarity in the lyrics - it may give you a different take and a different feeling on these songs. It’s just vocal and a piano with some beautiful backing - all recorded live. I think you’re going to get something quite different from what you will have heard on the original versions.”

Inducted into the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame in 2009, Spooner Oldham has shaped American soul music with his formidable talent. A songwriter, producer and session keyboardist, Oldham has left his mark on classics such as "When a Man Loves a Woman," "Mustang Sally" and "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)." After leaving Memphis in 1967, Oldham teamed up with singer Dan Penn at Chips Moman's American Studios, and the duo became one of the country's top songwriters. Together, they wrote hits for Aretha Franklin ("Do Right Woman") and Box Tops ("Cry Like a Baby"), among others, and their songs appeared on albums by artists such as Janis Joplin ("A Woman Left Lonely").

After the end of the pioneering era of Southern soul, Oldham put his considerable talents to work for other artists, including Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne, and the Everly Brothers, playing piano and organ. He remains a respected figure among music aficionados, not only for his tasteful keyboard playing, but also for his compositions.

Sharleen Spiteri (Texas), lead vocals
Spooner Oldham, keyboards
Eddie Campbell, keyboards
Joe Armon Jones, keyboards
Cindy Walker, background vocals
Marie Lewey, background vocals

Sharleen Spiteri
was born in Glasgow, Scotland on November 7, 1967. Her father was a Merchant seaman and was away from home for three months at a time. He played guitar and her mother was a window dresser by trade and sang as well as keeping things going at home while Spiteri’s father was at sea. Music was a prominent feature of Spiteri’s early life, with big sing-songs being held at her grandmother’s house on regular occasions. Though little information is available, by all accounts Spiteri’s early childhood was a happy one. "I was a happy child. I had a lot of friends and a loving family who supported every step I made. As an artist, I really appreciate the unique approach to the audience. For those I love, оbesides, that I dedicate a song to them, I also like to do special things. Birthdays, anniversaries, mother's day, etc. I always look to be creative depending on the specific occasion. Soon I found some unique ideas for the V-Day, click here to read what I am talking about", says Sharleen. Trained and working as a hairdresser in Glasgow Spiteri formed the band Texas in 1986, so named after she watched a movie and decided she liked the name. Spiteri continued to work as a hairdresser for 18 months after the band’s formation simply because she needed the money, while being the frontwoman of the band. Texas rocketed to success during the 1990’s, in a time when the music world was dominated by all-male bands. Spiteri was a welcome alternative both with her soulful voice and her talent with a guitar. The group became so successful that as of 2013 it is believed that their albums have sold over 40 million copies worldwide.

Spooner Oldham
The writing credits of Spooner Oldham read like a jukebox selection. From Percy Sledge to Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett to Janis Joplin, Spooner is at the heart of what has come to be called “The Muscle Shoals Sound.” Born June 14, 1943, in Center Star, Alabama, a community so small it hasn’t been listed on the U.S. census rolls since 1880, Dewey Lindon Oldham, Jr., comes from a family with a musical background. His father played in a band when Spooner was young child, and, per Spooner, he would just “sit over in the corner and watch them,” as his father and bandmates would practice out on the porch. It was also as a child when Spooner “accidently” acquired his nickname. Reaching for pan on the stove, he was left blind in his right eye when it was injured by a spoon. Following in his father’s footsteps, he began playing piano for local bands while in high school. After graduation, Spooner briefly attended the University of North Alabama in Florence, but dropped out soon after realizing he was skipping more classes than he attended, preferring to Rick Hall’s FAME Studios to learn his trade against that of an official classroom. It was there that Spooner started on his journey to becoming one of the premier sidemen in music. In this role, Spooner played keyboards on some of the most successful songs to come out of, first FAME Studios, then Muscle Shoals Sound Studios. Songs like Percy Sledge’s “When a Man Loves a Woman” (1966), Wilson Pickett’s “Mustang Sally” (1966), and Aretha Franklin’s “I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You” (1967), all saw Spooner on keyboard. Spooner also played on Franklin’s signature song, “Respect” (1967), recording at Atlantic Records Studio in New York City in 1967. Shortly afterwards, Spooner headed west to Memphis, where he connected with a songwriting partner he had met while at FAME, Dan Penn. Together they had written the James & Bobby Purify hit, “I’m Your Puppet” (1966), while both were still at FAME. Reconnecting in Memphis, the duo continued to churn out songs, including those recorded by The Box Tops (“Cry Like a Baby”-1968) and Percy Sledge (“It Tears Me Up”-1967). The assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., in Memphis, in April of 1968, was a turning point for Spooner. The once-open racial atmosphere of R&B and soul, where all that mattered was your skill with music, took a hit with King’s murder, especially in the South, leading Spooner to make the move to Los Angeles, where things were somewhat like they used to be. The next decade saw Spooner recording with the likes of Linda Ronstadt and Neil Young. Relocating once more, this time to Nashville, Spooner toured extensively with Young and with Bob Dylan, with whom he had worked on Dylan’s 1980 gospel album, “Saved.” 1984 saw one of Spooner’s older songs become a hit on the country charts when Steve Wariner recorded “Lonely Women Make Good Lovers,” which went all the way up to number four. In the 1990s, Spooner returned home to Alabama, settling down in Rogersville, just up Highway 72 from Center Star. Returning to his roots hasn’t slowed Spooner down, as he has gone out on tour with his writing partner Dan Penn several times, as well as going out on the road with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young on their 2006 “Freedom of Speech” tour, and with the Drive-By Truckers, the Athens, Georgia-based band co-founded by Patterson Hood, the son of Spooner’s former Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section partner, David Hood. For his contributions to the music industry, Spooner Oldham was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2008, the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame in 2009, where he was inducted by Paul Shaffer, sidekick to David Letterman on both his late-night talk shows, and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 2014.

This album contains no booklet.