Texas: "Black-Eyed Boy" (Mercury)

Like a great, lost Motown classic, this tune explodes from your wireless in a brash burst of Sixties soul, and Sharleen Spiteri puts on her best Diana Ross purr while the brass, strings and big beats snap perfectly into place. The hooks grab you by the tail-feathers and keep you swinging till the final fade-out.

By Kevin Courtney