Saturday 28 November 2009

Candie Payne




Candie Payne was a lady I had high hopes for after hearing her first single, All I Need To Hear.  The cool sixties stylings of the track sounded like something from a film soundtrack from that era bringing to mind sharp suits and girls in mini skirts, bobs and too much eyeliner. She was a bit more poppy than Amy Winehouse, whose Rehab had yet to be released but which I had heard on The Funk And Soul Show when Eddie Pillar was sitting in for Craig Charles as he had been a naughty boy and actually was in rehab at the time.

I went to see Candie Payne in King Tut's a couple of months later and I don't think that I have ever seen anybody so scared of an audience in all my life, she was shaking when she started, however her voice was something else, understated but boy could she carry a tune and as I said at the start, I thought that she was destined for the kind of attention that Amy Winehouse got for her music before she became tabloid train crash  fodder.

Another couple of singles were released, Take Me and the download only By Tomorrow but she didn't get the breaks she deserved and both sunk without a trace. In May 2007 she released her debut album I Wish I Could Have Loved You More which charted in the UK album charts and a single with the same title which crashed into the charts at number 84! Her next single One More Chance was a desperate attempt by her record company to break the charts, Payne left the track off of her album as she didn't think that it fitted with the rest of the tracks. The record company however thought that with the assistence of Mark Ronson, producer of the moment , they would be on to a winner. Candie was proven to be right as the highest position the single reached was # 122. An injustice in my book as the track is good, especially in it's original form before Ronson did his thing to it.

Since then, nothing which is a real shame, as she has a better voice than Duffy, Adele and that Leona Lewis combined. Let's hope that she comes back with something soon.

Candie Payne - All I Need To Hear

Candie Payne - One More Chance (original)

Candie Payne - One More Chance (single Ronson mix)

And as an extra, the b-side to One More Chance, the other vocalist may be familiar and he also wrote the track.

Candie Payne - Shopping

11 comments:

Arthit said...

I love Candie Payne a minute i heard her song on 6Music - even called the station and asked. I just recently tweeted to her whereabouts. Hope 2010 will see her return.

Simon said...

I love that version of shopping, which I didn't have myself. Thanks!

I think the real weakness on her album was the strength of the songs. Or lack of it. Wish I Could Have Loved You More aside - which is a cracker - there's nothing that stands out. Amy might not be quite the singer, but her Back To Black album has some excellent songwriting going on, with some pretty strong character. Even if most of it is Ronson's.

Unknown said...

This is all new to me. Excellent stuff. Love her voice. Particularly enjoyed the cover.

drew said...

I think you may be right Simon, apart from 3 or 4 tracks the rest aren't that memorable. But she has got a great voice.

drew said...

JC - you will probably already know this but Morrissey is on Desert Island Discs in about ten minutes. I will not believe a word of it but it will certainly be entertaining.

dickvandyke said...

Enlightening c/w enchanting.

Thanks Drew.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Drew,

Couldn't agree more about Ms. Payne. I think her album was released at the same time as Corrine Bailey-Rae's and lost out on airplay because of it.

She also does an interesting cover of Nightclubbing too. And she's the sister of one of The Zutons... but we shan't hold that against her...

g.

dickvandyke said...

Blimey Gareth .. I was just thinking how much she resembled Abi from the Zutons. (I take it they are sisters?)

drew said...

Dickie, no she's related to the drummer or something and her other brother was in the Stands

Ez said...

Thanks for the Ronson mix of 'One More Chance', didn't have that - and I agree she's a cracking singer that hasn't had the breaks she deserves.