archive : A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z sdtk comp
Cover Art Texas
The Hush
[Universal]
Rating: 4.0

England's Texas sculpts studio-perfect summer radio pop. Carbonated drumbeats provide a smooth, soft, cocoa-buttery surface like a well tanned midriff. It spreads out between a tight cotton tee and a pair of skin-squeezing jeans with the top few buttons haphazardly loose, allowing singer/pin-up Sharleen Spiteri's voice to dance across it like the brushing of delicately painted fingernails around the navel and upper pubis. A deep, discotheque bassline fills the sound nicely like two handfuls of pillowy, grade-A breast inflating the top of a red tanktop. A six-figure studio budget paints a shimmer over the sound like an iced- tea- colored tan, grains of fine, white sand, and tongue- tip- sized beads of sweat. Spiteri's seductive falsetto slips effortlessly between post-coital, bangs- in- face tease and professional puckered, glossy, slightly-separated lips like a Revlon commercial- tailored blend of Natalie Imbruglia, Prince, Donna Summer, Everything But the Girl, and a sultry Suede.

"Summer Son" bounces along like two-toned buttocks frollicking under a silk skirt, while the title track slowjams erotically like Spiteri rubbing down her body with her eyes closed, lips blooming to reveal marble teeth and a sentient tongue. Well, no. Really, there's more to this "music" than the singer's looks. Really. Stop looking at that. She's out of our league. Give me that back. I want the artwork!

-Brent DiCrescenzo

TODAY'S REVIEWS

DAILY NEWS

RATING KEY
10.0: Indispensable, classic
9.5-9.9: Spectacular
9.0-9.4: Amazing
8.5-8.9: Exceptional; will likely rank among writer's top ten albums of the year
8.0-8.4: Very good
7.5-7.9: Above average; enjoyable
7.0-7.4: Not brilliant, but nice enough
6.0-6.9: Has its moments, but isn't strong
5.0-5.9: Mediocre; not good, but not awful
4.0-4.9: Just below average; bad outweighs good by just a little bit
3.0-3.9: Definitely below average, but a few redeeming qualities
2.0-2.9: Heard worse, but still pretty bad
1.0-1.9: Awful; not a single pleasant track
0.0-0.9: Breaks new ground for terrible
OTHER RECENT REVIEWS

All material is copyright
2001, Pitchforkmedia.com.