It's safe to say Texas is probably the best Scottish country-pop band there ever was.

Yet few people outside of the British Isles have heard of them. Had one been around in the early 90's, they might have recognized "Prayer for You" or "I Don't Want a Lover" on the radio, but it was a fleeting listen. Because while Texas is talented, they are also very professional and adult, and that doesn't necessarily translate to entertaining.

On Southside, the band's debut album, Texas is able to emulate the pop aspects of country music rather well, predating Faith Hill and Shania Twain by almost a decade, and the pop aspect of their music sounds similar to Madonna around the same time period, without the dance aspect. But the end result isn't as catchy as Shania's later hits (overplayed as they were) or the tinny 80's pop songs that ruled that decade because they lack a sense of fun.

The only time the band really has fun is "Prayer for You" and "One Choice." The former is the best song here, a driving acoustic number with some amazing vocals by Sharleen Spiteri and minimal percussion that enhances the song. A shorter version of this song appeared on the band's greatest hits release, but this is a superior version. "One Choice" is notable for its stomping drums and quick acoustic strumming too.

Lyrically, the record is about relationships, particularly ones that have gone sour. Titles like "Fool for Love," "Tell Me Why," "I Don't Want a Lover" and "Thrill Has Gone" indicate their subject matter, and fortunately the words are a step higher than their American counterparts. Spiteri, for her part, has a great vocal range and a nice sultry voice that would befit a female country singer in the U.S. This is evident on "Fight The Feeling," a skittering number with the best guitar solo on the album.

But musically, apart from the occasional slide guitar, there is little here to separate each song. A few solos are sprinkled around, but the percussion rarely changes, the bass is mundane and every song has the same tempo. To their credit, Texas doesn't try to be upbeat in addition to being samey -- most of the songs here are rather melancholy, even "Prayer," and all follow the same basic musical formula. Only the two-minute title track is different, an instrumental piece that sounds like something Stevie Ray Vaughan might have done if he'd taken a downer the night before.

Texas doesn't sound like anyone else, but they still sound like they are trying too hard to blend country and pop, and with an 80's production sensibility this record fails to consistently entertain. Had the band injected some variety into their sound, they could have been bigger outside of their native country -- and Spiteri, especially, has a voice made for radio. But as such, the album is mediocre at best with only a few bright spots, which can be found on the greatest hits collection.