“Don’t judge a book by it’s cover” goes the common english axiom. But what about CDs? In the case of Late Nights and Candle Wax, Jamie Carricks first album, you could get away with it. The cover, much like the music, is cute, soft and minimal. The music is full of white space, as Carrick feels no need to fill in the blanks between guitar notes and vocals leaving the rest to the imagination. Keeping it simple and mellow works for the album.
Carrick has a nice throaty, folksy singing voice which fits perfectly with the guitar, particularly on “Holy Sting” and “Weaker Sex.” Carrick misses the high notes on “I’ll be Okay” where the chorus comes off squeaky and out of place. He finds a nice balance between upbeat singing and folksy country songwriting on “Change Your Mind” and “Fight.”
A John Wart Hannam-style singing voice and excellent country guitar carry Late Nights and Candle Wax Art along but the songwriting is average and neither the subject matter nor the lyrics are particularly remarkable.
..Rhiannon Kirkland