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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A lovely debut album., 21 Jun 2007
I won't bore you by commenting on how much this album reminds me of vintage Dusty Springfield or perhaps early Saint Etienne. All I'll say is...how rare it is to come across a modern long player where EVERY track is a gem. No filler.
Candie's got a lovely voice and has written a terrific little collection of songs. And if that wasn't fabulous enough...the album's produced by Noonday Underground mastermind Simon Dine!
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
File under "grower", 24 Jun 2007
Female vocalists looking to re-create the sounds of the 60s are nothing new, but lovers of the joyful 60s-inspired fluff recently released by the likes of The Pipettes and Lucky Soul should approach this with caution. Sure, it sounds like it comes from that decade - in fact the production, slight static and all, makes it sound more authentically so than the aforementioned bands. But this is altogether a darker, more brooding affair. Candie Payne's influences are not so much The Shirelles and The Chiffons (with the exception of One More Chance) as late 60s Sandie Shaw and Dusty Springfield.
So far, so promising, but my initial feeling was that the quality of the songs just didn't match up to such lofty predecessors. I was all ready to give it a three-star review. A couple more listens, however, and it's wormed another star out of me. Why? Well, firstly it's finally dawned on me that just because an album is in the style of Dusty Springfield, it doesn't mean it IS Dusty Springfield. Ms Payne's voice is certainly pleasant, but will always come off second best if compared to Dusty's fantastic soulful larynx, so reviewing it in that context is neither fair nor helpful. Secondly, to me this is an album that you need to listen to a few times to appreciate fully. This is not to say it doesn't have its moments of immediacy - Take Me is charmingly catchy, A Different You is suitably haunting, while By Tomorrow chugs along cheerfully - but the overall initial feeling may be one of potential that isn't quite fulfilled. Stick with it though, and this album's goodies slowly reveal themselves. A promising debut...it will be interesting to see what Candie does next.
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11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The break-up record of the year, 20 Jul 2007
The end of a relationship is full of false dawns. Only they happen after dusk. Long grueling nights in which you resurrect shallow-buried resentments to fling in the face of your lover. Who responds in kind. Only kind is not exactly the word. But little matter, this is not the end. By morning the raging reality has given way to a bland lie: we love each other still. So it goes. Until one heart summons the courage to express itself honestly in the cold light of day. Forcing the other to face the truth. It's over.
Or is that just me?
Candie Payne's debut album is about lovers coming to terms with their love affairs. But this is a break-up record that steers clear of false dawns. There is no wailing and gnashing of teeth. Ms Winehouse does the bunny boiler anthems. And does them very well. Ms Payne is concerned with what happens after the meltdown.
Her heroines have accepted the truth of their lives. They either plan to move on, have moved on, or never will. The heartbroken among them still issue desperate pleas to their men, but the words are not flooded with emotion nor studded with expletives. The only lip is of the stiff-upper variety. From the Liverpool-born songstress, these are very English affairs.
Not that the tunes themselves are reserved. By Tomorrow is a real toe-tapper, bustling along like Oxford Street during the January sales, while Payne assures herself she'll make the right move in her romance.
On the title track a girl breaks a boy's heart before expressing sorrow. But she ain't ever going back. As such, the vocal is mournful but the music shimmers and sparkles.
The album is produced by Portishead collaborator Simon Dine. He pastiches perfectly the backing tracks of 60s divas like Dusty Springfield, who Payne's strong soulful voice most resembles. Dine does add a trip-hop slap and dash to the drumming, yet the album overall is like many from the Deltasonic stable. Defiantly retro.
The lyrics are very 21st Century, however. Payne is unafraid to assign herself traits traditionally considered male. Such as a roving eye. In Why Should I Settle For You an unhappy woman looks to trade-in her current beau. But the joke is on her. "To my surprise, nobody catches my eye, but you."
Candie Payne herself has caught the eye of many fans of great music. I hope she sticks around for the long-term.
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For Fans of
Dusty Springflield, Amy Winehouse, Portishead.
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