80s teen idol Paul Young reveals name of new album

In an interview with the Mid Sussex Times Paul revealed the title of the album by his seven-piece band Los Pacaminos, who play Balcombe Club on Saturday night.

The name - ‘A Fistful of Statins’, the singer revealed, is a take on the health stakes of the members, all of whom have been friends and musical partners for getting on for 30 years.

“It’s just something that was said that made us all laugh because it refers to ‘A Fistful of Dollars’ when what we all really need is a ‘Fistful of Statins’!” Paul joked.

The album is Tex-Mex music or, as Paul describes it, a cowboy band playing ‘border’ music’ with plenty of soul, romantic ballads and a large shovel-full of fun had by all along the way.

“When you see it, it’s a lot of fun but when you play it, it’s even more so. We have all known each other for years now and this is fun, it’s loose, we can do solos, we can fool around a bit on stage; it’s really a boys’ night out for all the band as much as for the audience,” Paul said.

Intimate venues like the 300-capacity Balcombe Club are also a pleasure to play for the band.

Paul said: “Doing the smaller gigs is much more fun - you can see the whites of their eyes! It makes it more immediate and we talk to the audience a lot and so you get immediate feedback.”

Inevitably, with a track record as impressive as his with widely-known hits that include ‘Wherever I Lay My Hat’, ‘Come Back And Stay’ and ‘Everytime You Go Away’, fans ask him to play the tracks they know best.

And in the past, Paul, a Brit Award winner whose good looks made him a teen idol, has done so, not always pleasing himself or his fans by adding new sounds and tempos to try to embrace the old and the new of his changing direction.

But, in truth, Paul is the first to admit he would rather keep the Paul Young of old and the sound of Los Pacaminos separate.

“I’ve listened to soul music since I was 18, so now I have found another type of music that interests me. It feels different and I don’t want to be the guy who gets up and taps when someone says tap dance. I want to be able to do whatever I want to do as a musician.”

Paul, who has mastered the 12-stringed bajo sexto guitar that shapes a lot of the Tex-Mex sound, sounds genuinely excited about the release of ‘A Fistful of Statins’.

He describes the quality of playing and sound as “fantastic” and with a deal signed with record label Cherry Red the album is expected to be out in May

Anticipation is great for the fan following of Paul and Los Pacaminos and a few tracks have been released online to whet the appetite nearly 12 years after the band’s first and only other album was released.

With the project nearly complete Paul’s ambition now is to be recognised for his many other talents beyond the blue-eyed soul singing he made his name with and made him a worldwide star.

Other work is being done, including as writer and producer as well as accomplished chef, and if a movie director picked up on the southern frontier ballads of Los Pacaminos for a sound track then he would have yet another reason to toss his hat in the air and clink tequila glasses with the band.

For tickets to see Los Pacaminos go to www.balcombeclub.co.uk

Interview by Carolyn Robertson