Louder Than The Music

British group The Paul Poulton Project have just released their latest album 'Some People Believe Anything' with it's unique sound of funk, rock and modern blues. Singer Paul Poulton took time away from his US tour to talk to LTTM about the album.

For those who haven't heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got involved in making music?

My dad was a pianist and wanted me to learn to play piano too, so he sent me to piano lessons when I was four years old. I wasn't keen on the way my piano teacher taught me to play, she was very strict and I ended up crying at one lesson. But one day I heard some blues being played on the radio. I found out that the instrument was a guitar, so I asked my dad if I could change instruments from piano to guitar. He said yes, as long as I learned properly. So I practiced every day and made my own blues tunes up. I used to invite the kids from the street to come to concerts in my veranda, so I got used to performing early.

Tell us a little bit about your new album 'Some People Believe Anything' and what the inspiration behind it was?

I was reading something Jesus said about "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves." Every one of us have to be sure of our own faith. We can't rely on pastors or parents to look out for us all the time, we have to be on the alert ourselves because our adversary walks around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. So the album is a journey with the songs linking into each other, it's a road map, which takes us through the dark woods of the world, right down into hades like in Dante's famous book, the inferno, and then right up into heaven. I didn't intend to record another album so quickly after 'Too Twitchy' which came out last year, but the songs for 'Some People Believe Anything' came so quickly and I felt so inspired that I had to get all the songs down in the studio and then released. I think when the Holy Spirit inspires us it's important to act upon it and not leave it too long.

Which is your favourite track on the album and why?

I think my favourite track is 'Don't Break Up', which is a song that challenges couples to be faithful to each other and get through the hard times and press on to something even greater than they had originally. Many married couples give up when the going gets tough, not knowing that what awaits them is something special if only they can be faithful to the course they are on. When we fall in love with someone, it's like a beautiful garden, full of wonderful flowers and lawns. But that garden needs to be tended, if it's not looked after by some hard work what started as a beautiful garden can end up as a wilderness. The song has a few jazz chords and a French movie feel. People have already been writing to me telling me it's helped them. If I can help a few couples stay together then the song has fulfilled its purpose.

What's your song writing process?

It almost always starts with inspiration, I see something or hear something and immediately I know I have to write the song. The groove and chords come easily once I have the subject of the song.

If you could work with any song writer, who would it be and why?

I have tried working with other songwriters, some good ones too, but it never works for me. I have to write my own songs. I tend to look at things from a different angle.

How would you describe your style of music and what are your influences?

I think a good description of the music was one I read on Louder Than The Music which was blues infused funk and rock, that just about captures it. My influences are C.S.Lewis, G.K.Chesterton, The Rolling Stones, Lightnin' Hopkins, The Bible, I liked Larry Norman and Bob Dylan a lot too. I think they have a way of saying something important that not everyone understands at first but they have that other-worldly effervescence about their music.

How would you define success in your career?

Success is doing what you were put on earth to do. Each one of us have a gift but some people bury that gift in the ground and it doesn't get used. I don't want to do that. It's not always easy following the path that God chooses for us. I'm on tour at the moment away from my wife and family for three weeks, but I'm reaching out to people, because God loves people and music is one of the ways he shows us that he loves us. I'm spreading God's love around, that is being a success to me.

In your opinion, what makes the perfect song?

The perfect song is made up of words and notes that evoked something from deep within the writer's spirit and then connects deep into the heart of the listener's spirit.

You're stuck on an island, it's hot, you only have enough battery life left to listen to one song on your mp3 player. What track is it?

I think it would be Bryn Haworth's 'Give All You've Got To Give'.

What does the next year hold for Paul Poulton Project?

Well the quickest way to make God laugh is to tell him all your future plans. But if God allows us then, we have a Christmas tour in December. We play traditional carols but give them a modern guitar-based groove. It works well, we've done this tour for the last few years, it's good to remind people what Christmas is about. We've been talking with some people about another American tour, that's where I am at the moment but I just have my acoustic guitar with me and I'm performing the concerts solo, but I often bring my band with me.

Find out more at PaulPoulton.com