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Boyzone talk Motown album plans

Boyzone's Keith Duffy has revealed the band are exploring their funky sides with a new Motown album.

The Irish former boyband - Keith, Shane Lynch, Ronan Keating and Mikey Graham - have been together for 21 years and are busy working on their sixth studio album From Dublin To Detroit.

Keith revealed backstage at Barclaycard British Summertime in London's Hyde Park: " It's really exciting. We're in the studio at the moment. We're doing a Motown album - from Dublin To Detroit.

"We're basically just covering some of our favourite songs from the Motown era, and putting a full album together . So we've got 12 really exciting tracks coming out.

"It is a concept album, obviously, but it's going to give us a whole new twist on the next tour that we do. It's going to give us a whole new catalogue of music to perform. And it will be very interesting how it fits in with our own back catalogue .

"It's kind of rejuvenating us. It's giving us just good times and good memories in the studio. So finger crossed people will receive it well and it goes well for us."

The band's fifth member Stephen Gately, nicknamed Ste'o, died from an undiagnosed heart condition in 2009, aged just 33.

But Shane insisted: "For us guys as Boyzone, from 1993 when we began to however we go on, for many many years hopefully, we'll always be a five piece.

"Visually you'll only see four up there, but for us guys when we stand on that stage we'll never be without Ste'o and we'll always pay tribute to him. He'll always be with us."

Meanwhile, former Coronation Street star Keith revealed he is busy juggling starring in West End play A Handful Of Stars at London's Trafalgar Studios with performing with the lads as part of their summer tour.

He said: "It's quite a demanding role, but its a great role to play. So I do this [Boyzone] on my day off. I'm on stage every day of the week at the moment!"

He said of acting: "I love that, it's a real passion of mine and I hope to do a lot more acting in the future.

"I've become a lot more comfortable and confident in myself now and I think that shows in my performances now. It's difficult when you've got such a familiar face from the music industry for casting directors to take a chance on you. But now they've seen me and seen what I can do there's a lot of irons in the fire, and fingers crossed I've got some big stuff coming up."

And bandmate Shane has a new pet project of his own - grooming the bushy beard he has been growing for the last 12 months.

Shane revealed: "From the beginning of the year I said this is the year of the beard. Everywhere I look around be there's beards walking the street of every town I go to, but everyone's not willing to go the whole hog, so when you get to the point of where you're the same as everybody else, that's no good you have to continue. So I am continuing in my growth. Where it's going to end, I'm not sure... but the end is not near."

Keith added: "I have to say when Shane gets an idea in his head he's the most determined man I know.

"I think it's fantastic. I'd love to be able to grow something like that, but I don't think my wife would like it too much."

Source: music.uk.msn.com
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