Of all the festivals, in all the towns, in all the world, Sharleen Spiteri, former frontwoman for Texas, has announced an appearance at the Casa Music Festival in Casablanca, Morocco. Following a UK tour earlier this year, Sharleen will hit the festival circuit this summer in support of last year’s debut solo release ‘Melody’.
The inspiration, if that’s the right word, for ‘Melody’ was the break-up in 2004 of Spiteri’s 10-year relationship with Ashley Heath, a magazine editor and the father of her six-year-old daughter, Misty. ‘I did try when I was writing it to veer off and write in the third person, but it just wasn’t working. Then I thought, “F–ing hell, Shar, you’re 41, you’re a grown-up, you’re a parent, and this is the record that you’ve always wanted to make.” Not that I ever wished I would have that amount of heartache… but these are songs that are written from deep, deep down and it’s an album I’ve always wanted to write’.
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The album, which entered the charts at number three and has since sold more than 200,000 copies, is a brilliant homage to the kind of music Spiteri listened to growing up – Tamla Motown, Nancy Sinatra, Smokey Robinson, Johnny Cash – but it is also a searingly honest account of what it feels like to lose the man you thought was the love of your life. Almost every track on the album, such as Stop I Don’t Love You Anymore, I’m Going to Haunt You and You Let Me Down, express similar sentiments – namely hurt, anger, disappointment and the kind of fighting spirit that would make Nancy Sinatra proud.
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Every song is so upbeat and catchy they sound almost… ‘Happy?’ Spiteri interrupts. ‘Well, that just shows you how sick I really am,’ she deadpans. And while she admits that it felt good to write something so heartfelt, she scoffs at the idea that making the record was the musical equivalent of a trip to the psychiatrist’s couch. ‘To be honest, when I was in the pain and I was living it the last thing I wanted to do was make records, or sing songs. People have said to me, “Was it like therapy, making this record?” No! At the time my therapy was maybe smashing a few plates, kicking a few doors in and screaming. Then, when I was in a good place, that’s when I could make the record.’
Sharleen will perform at Casa Music, a music festival in Casablanca, Morocco on July 18th. She will play on the El Hank Stage at 22:30.
Sharlees Spiteri Full Tour Dates
June 27 2009 – Outsider Festival, Rothiemurchus, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland
July 11 2009 – Cornbury Festival, near Charlbury, Oxfordshire, England
July 12 2009 – Liverpool Summer Pops Festival, Echo Arena, Liverpool, England
Jul 19 2009 – Casa Music Festival Casablanca, Morocco
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