Howard Eliott Payne - Come Down Easy
The name might be familiar to some already; born in Liverpool Howard Payne was the lead singer in The Stands. During their brief two-and-a-half-year stint they clocked up five top 40 UK singles and toured the world before Howie quit and moved back to the USA, where he'd spent most of his childhood.
Formerly a resident of Queens, New York, this time he moved to Texas and LA before returning to the UK to record his solo debut. Recorded, mixed and produced in seven days by Ethan Johns (Ryan Adams, Ben Kweller) and self-funded by the sale of "a really nice electric guitar", Bright Light Ballads has Johns' trademark production style; relaxed and with a bar band/live room, few overdubs feel.
Violin and shimmering slide make Come Down Easy sound like it could be an unrecorded Whiskeytown or Ryan Adams track, were it not for Payne's characteristic vocal.
At times sounding almost like a mix between Adams at his most country and a slightly scouse, more earthy Ray Lamontagne (meant as a compliment). Fans of either could do far worse than check him out.
Single Come Down Easy is out April 13.
Album Bright Light Ballads will be released April 20.
4:19 PM | 16/04/2009
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***** BRILLIANT track from an absolutely stunning album. Can't recommend Bright Light Ballads highly enough.
Posted by Sam Grafton at 2:25 PM | 18/04/2009 | Report Abuse
GENIUS. This is the artist to watch for 2009.
Posted by nathalia rubossos at 2:31 PM | 18/04/2009 | Report Abuse
Great Song! I agree with Sam..A stunning album!
Posted by Jeff Blundell at 2:47 PM | 18/04/2009 | Report Abuse
Amazing mix of Northern melody and deep southern blues..this is unbelievably cool. best thing Q has recommended in a long time.
Posted by sienna daboule at 2:56 PM | 18/04/2009 | Report Abuse
BEAUTIFUL, STUNNING album!!!!! And as said above, this is unbelievably cool... restores a bit of my lost faith in Q to see them get on something as genuinely good as Howard Eliott Payne. Just saw Bright Light Ballads went straight to number 1 on iTunes Folk Albums Chart, btw....
Posted by bren-DM at 1:10 PM | 19/04/2009 | Report Abuse
heard howard eliott payne on dermot o'leary yesterday...bought the album on itunes and listened to it straight through 4 times. i gotta say howie payne's new album is the highlight of my musical year so far... this is good muic. even better than the doves new record. get it now or live to regret it!
Posted by leelee888 at 1:23 PM | 19/04/2009 | Report Abuse
HOWARD ELIOTT PAYNE IS BRILLIANT!!!!!!! Bright Light Ballads is without a doubt the best new album I have heard in the last 3+ years. Come Down Easy is an amazing track- soulful, dirty, rootsy, yet incredibly catchy and melodically -- superb.
Agreed, Q has taken a very bland, overly-commercialized downturn in the last year or so, but it definitely makes me think Q is a lot cooler if they are getting behind such a legitimately great underground record as Bright Light Ballads. Good on Q.
Posted by wills/sloak at 11:00 AM | 20/04/2009 | Report Abuse
howard eliott payne is my new favourite musician. LOVE it!
Posted by andrew j. at 11:31 AM | 20/04/2009 | Report Abuse
Not so sure on the Dylan sound - I get what people mean but more of a Liverpool sound to it. Much better for it. This isn't too bad at all is it.
Posted by Harpster at 11:57 AM | 20/04/2009 | Report Abuse
I waited for his solo debut for many years.
And his album flapped in the world. That's a wonderful thing.so 2009 is his year!
Bright Light Ballads is amazing and brilliant and very beautiful!
Howard Eliott Payne is fantastic musician for me.
Love Howard eliott payne!
Posted by ko at 1:06 PM | 20/04/2009 | Report Abuse
i LOVE this xxxxxxx
Posted by samsam at 1:29 PM | 20/04/2009 | Report Abuse
Stunning album. x
Posted by jack_bauer_4ever at 1:42 PM | 20/04/2009 | Report Abuse
this guy should be huge.
Posted by sandylion66 at 2:53 PM | 20/04/2009 | Report Abuse
Agreed. This song is outrageously cool. Howard Eliott Payne rocks.
This is way good.
Posted by JobeyOneKenobi at 5:27 PM | 20/04/2009 | Report Abuse
this is one of the best new records i have heard in several years.
Posted by sashadacha at 5:43 PM | 20/04/2009 | Report Abuse
STUNNING debut from a genuinely talented, valid, and culturally valuable artist. I would love to hear more of Howard Eliott Payne.
Posted by R.A. Synch at 11:25 AM | 22/04/2009 | Report Abuse
i just bought bright light ballads and it is mind-blowing. this is a great, great, i gotta say even an important record and it will change the way you feel about music right now.
Posted by otis-redneck at 1:49 PM | 04/05/2009 | Report Abuse
howard eliott payne is genius. this is solid, beautiful, authentic, intelligent, inventive and original new music deeply rooted in blues and folk traditions. an absolute godsend.
Posted by mike now at 5:30 PM | 12/06/2009 | Report Abuse
howard eliott payne is genius. this is solid, beautiful, authentic, intelligent, inventive and original new music deeply rooted in blues and folk traditions. an absolute godsend.
Posted by mike now at 5:32 PM | 12/06/2009 | Report Abuse
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