Shane Richie's album features 'mid-life crisis' track

29 September 2017

Shane Richie's upcoming country album features a track about his "mid-life crisis".

Shane Richie

The 53-year-old entertainer is most known for his role as Alfie Moon in BBC soap 'EastEnders' - a role which he held from 2002 to 2005, before making a return to the show from 2010 until 2016 - but after first releasing a less than successful album in 1997, the star is trying his hand at a music career once again.

Shane's second album, a country venture entitled 'A Country Soul', is due to hit shelves November 17, and the star has revealed one track is a "jolly" number which details his self-doubt surrounding his body since reaching his 50s.

Speaking about the track - which is called 'Shut Up ('Cause All I Want Is You)' and was written with the help of his Rixton frontman son Jake Roche - Shane said: "One time I said to [Christie Goddard, his wife], 'I've put on a bit of weight, I'm going grey at the sides,' and she said, 'Oh shut up, all I want is you.'

"It just triggered something inside my head about being a man who's in his early fifties, what things concern me? And it is that. That was about a mid-life crisis, that song. The lyrics are fairly jolly but anybody of my age kind of starts doubting themselves.

"One of the lines is, 'I'm dressed up, it's Friday night, my favourite shirt feels a little tight'. My wife constantly says, 'Be careful now Shane. You might be housewives' choice, but they haven't seen you with your belly out.'"

And the album also includes 'That Bottle Ain't Your Friend', an ode to "himself" regarding his ex-wife Coleen Nolan, whom he split with after his "boozing ways" caused a rift between them.

He told The Sun newspaper: "It's been fairly well documented, my past, my divorce 20 years ago, was my fault, through my boozing ways. When we were writing that song, I thought, 'This is almost like an ode to myself'. It was very close to home."

'A Country Soul' features both covers and original songs, and will be available from November 17.

The 'A Country Soul' tracklisting is:

1. 'Heartache On The Dancefloor' (originally by Jon Pardi) 2. 'I Loved Her First' (Heartland)

3. 'Wave On Wave' (Pat Green)

4. 'Shut Up ('Cause All I Want Is You)' (original new song)

5. 'I Won't Let The Sun Go Down On Me' (Nik Kershaw)

6. 'What Hurts The Most' (Rascal Flatts)

7. 'Wagon Wheel' (Darius Rucker)

8. 'Heartache Tonight' (The Eagles)

9. 'That Bottle Ain't Your Friend' (original new song)

10. 'Love The One You're With' (Stephen Stills)

11. 'On and On' (Stephen Bishop)