Justin Lee Collins to release LP
TV presenter and comedian Justin Lee Collins says the album he's bringing out next year is going to be "magic".
Speaking at the Q music awards, Collins explained the idea came about after he did a Tom Jones impression on Radio 1 last year. He said: "Some guys heard me singing Tom Jones, I think on Moyles, this was about a year ago. "They asked to meet me and I thought, 'Well this is funny, they obviously want me to do some sort of novelty album like Justin Lee Collins Sings Tom'. I could picture the cover in my head. "I turned up with that in mind and they said, 'No, we want to do it properly'. I know it's absurd. No duets. There's just one voice on this album. My voice is my instrument and I love it." Collins was at the Q Awards ceremony to present the award for best breakthrough act with Corinne Bailey Rae. He joked that he could be back next year to collect the award himself. He also insisted the project wasn't meant to be a comedy record but a genuine album in the style of the classic lounge singers. "It's a mixture" he said. "Think sort of early Tom Jones, [Engelbert] Humperdinck, Tony Christie. It's totally straight, honestly." The Bristol-born presenter said the album would feature original songs written for him, including one called Margarita, but that he was still deciding on names for the project. "I think we might call it Another Side, but I'm not sure," he said. "Someone else said, 'Why don't you call it Too Long For The Bun', which I prefer but maybe it's too obscure." Justin Lee Collins had singing lessons ahead of a short stint in the musical Chicago, part of a TV show where he tried out different careers including a West End performer and a Mexican wrestler.