Paul Heaton is the "Musical Champion of the People!" He probably would decry such a statement being attributed to him, because, unlike many of the current crop of "Pop Stars", he comes across as quite a humble fella. He looks out for the best interests of his fans, especially when it comes to the cost of concert tickets. He could charge a lot more than £35 a ticket but realizes that not everyone has big money to spend and is always on the lookout to keeping costs down. At previous shows he's placed a tab behind the counter at pubs close to the venues in order that fans can have a drink on him. He has also provided help for various towns and city foodbanks by having fans bring items to stock the shelves.
Here's Paul on BBC Breakfast almost a week ago talking about the new album and ticketing etc.:
After five very successful albums with Jacqui Abbott, 'What Have We Become' (May 2014 #3), 'Wisdom, Laughter And Lines' (October 2015 #4), 'Crooked Calypso' (July 2017 #2), 'Manchester Calling' (March 2020 #1) and 'N.K-Pop' (October 2022 #1), Heaton finds himself "Solo" again, sort of. This time he has a few guest vocalists (Yvonne Sheldon and Danny Muldon who appear on a couple of tracks) including current back up and at times lead vocalist when the band play live, the wonderful Rianne Downey (a good Scottish lass and solo artist in her own right), you can see Rianne in action alongside Paul at the 2023 TRNSMT Festival Glasgow in the video below (a better and more confident performance from her was at Glastonbury this year. The full set is no longer on the BBC iplayer. otherwise I would have shared the link).My favourites on the album, after a week of listening, are "National Treasure", "Quicksand", "After The Sugar Rush", "H Into Hurt", "Pull Up A Seat", "The Blues Came In", "Couldn't Get Dead" and "Walk On, Slow Down".
I wondered if Paul Heaton would still be able to pull it off without Jacqui Abbott by his side but he does, and that's all down to the quality of his songwriting and various musical styles. He manages to bring things of everyday life, like a husband supposedly bringing home a "Fish 'N' Chip Supper" and all of a sudden it becomes like an episode of a Soap Opera. He gets political as well, attacking people’s anger about immigrants arriving via boats and dinghies on the song "Small Boats" (sung by Danny Muldoon, an Irish-Mancunian Heaton found in a pub singing Blues Covers). On "National Treasure" he directs the spotlight on who he considers to be the real heroes in our society, namely those who work in the NHS and the thousands of volunteers who serve their communties week in and week out.
The album has had a lot of good positive reviews in the press (not that they always matter):
"Five solo LPs in, The Mighty Several vouches for his continued worth, fostering unity and empathy in divided times." (Four Star Review in MOJO.)
"It’s Heaton through and through, as are cultural reference points including Bovril, bus drivers, 50p bets, Deirdre and Ken Barlow, and pubs. Lots of pubs. It’s a bit of a musical picnic." (Four Star Review in The Telegraph)
"It all adds up to another reliably excellent state of the nation from Heaton – there may be no real surprises on The Mighty Several, but it confirms his national treasure status, whether he likes it or not.." (Music OMH Four Star Review.)
"That dance between light and shade is assisted by an Ian Broudie production which juxtaposes the jaunty with the jaundiced. All human life isn’t here – not quite – but the life that’s here is wonderfully human." (Record Collector)