Album Review

Candie Payne – I Wish I Could Have Loved You More

• 1st Jun 2007

Remember that wise old saying ‘never judge a book by its cover’? Well, it most definitely should be applied here. I must admit I read the artist’s name, saw the words ‘Candie’, ‘Wish’ and ‘Loved’, and thought it was going to be another heartbroken girly-girl singing about the one that got away. How wrong I was. There’s obviously nothing wrong with the girly-girl thing, there’s just enough of it, for the moment at least.

This, on the other hand, is a much needed, refreshing style that oozes with the glamour one might well associate with Dusty Springfield or The Supremes. Candie Payne has created her debut album into a marvel that is soulful, ranging from sultry to melancholy. Seemingly infused with influences of the 60s, this is a modern take on white-soul. Candie’s voice is wonderfully clean, complimenting the music beautifully.

One slight disappointment though is the somewhat repetitive lyrics. Candie’s new single and title track of the album: I Wish I Could Have Loved You More, is Bond-esque. It’s dramatic, somewhat sinister in its soulful-ness and has the jangle-y piano that can be expected of a thrilling, casino featuring, good-guy-chasing-bad-guy film soundtrack. Despite this excitement, it is somewhat lacking imagination in lyrics. This becomes apparent after the thirteenth time of hearing ‘I wish I could have loved you more’.

In The Morning is not too dissimilar from the style of Morcheeba. The slow, rhythmic and soothing vocals, with the laid back pace, create a sense of relaxed bliss. The album is versatile. On the one hand it is easy to envisage it becoming the basis of a film soundtrack. On the other hand, it might become one of those summery favourites; apt for lazy, hot and hazy days, with little else to do than to sit back and relax.