I is for I Wish I Could Have Loved You More

I'm cheating a bit on the alphabetical postings here, since the "I" stands for the album title and not the artist, but the rules were broken when I chose Clutchy Hopkins for "C," when it should have gone under "H."

Oh well, what are you gonna do?

The subject of this post isn't really new either, but while Candie Payne's fantastic album has been out since May 2007 in the UK, North America is still waiting for a domestic release. Not many people are likely to pick it up the pricy import version.

Here's hoping a domestic version gets sorted out soon because this is an incredibly catchy album - and with the success of Lily Allen and Amy Winehouse I see no reason why Candie Payne can't blow up big.
Mark Ronson, who tapped both Allen and Winehouse for Version, produced "One More Chance" off I Wish I Could Have Loved You More, and many of the other tracks mine a similar retro vibe. The title track sounds like it could have come from an early Bond flick (or Our Man Flint) with its dramatic orchestration and Payne's powerhouse delivery.

On "Why Should I Settle For You," Payne's languid (yet sultry) delivery is paired with a smoky faux-jazz backing that evokes Portishead. Like much of the pop music coming out of the UK right now the sound has one foot planted in the past while the other is attempting to find the line between 'right now' and 'just about.' Ronson's contribution on "One More Chance" evokes the spectre of Spector while adding contemporary flourishes, but he's not the only one - producer Simon Dine is responsible for much of the album and songs like "In The Morning" manage a similar feat.

Here's a link to the video for the title track,
and here's the video for the collaboration with Mark Ronson:


Finally, the entire album can be streamed off Payne's official website here.

Thanks for reading, now start listening...