Corinne Bailey Rae | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Corinne Bailey Rae is a soul-rooted contemporary R&B; singer and songwriter with multiple Top Ten U.K. and U.S. albums. Displaying an interest in music from an early age, Bailey Rae studied classical violin until she acquired an electric guitar in her early teens. Inspired by such 90s alt-rock icons as L7, Veruca Salt, and Belly, Bailey Rae formed her first band, Helen. Despite developing a strong local following, the band ultimately folded and she enrolled at Leeds University to study English literature. While at school, a job at a jazz club inspired her more soul-oriented leanings and she began writing songs. Eventually, she scored a record deal with EMI and released her self-titled debut solo album in February 2006. It topped the U.K. album chart, pushed by the number two single "Put Your Records On," and reached number four on the U.S. Billboard 200. Bailey Rae earned three Grammy nominations and was nominated for as many MOBOs, two of which -- Best U.K. Female, Best U.K. Newcomer -- she won. A year later, both an expanded edition of the album and the CD/DVD set Live in London & NY appeared, and she was featured on Herbie Hancocks Grammy-winning River: The Joni Letters. Corinne Bailey Raes second proper album, The Sea, was heavily affected by the death of her husband, saxophonist Jason Rae. Despite the traumatic events surrounding its recording, it translated into commercial success as another instant Top Ten hit in the U.K. and U.S. after its January 2010 release. She followed the Mercury Prize-nominated album early the next year with the considerably lighter The Love EP, a five-song set containing covers of songs originally recorded by the likes of Prince, Bob Marley, and Paul McCartney & Wings. Her version of Marleys "Is This Love" won a Grammy in the category of Best R&B; Performance. As she worked on her third proper album, she temporarily retreated from the spotlight and remarried in 2013. In February 2016, "Been to the Moon," a collaboration with Kings Paris and Amber Strother, heralded The Heart Speaks in Whispers, which arrived three months later. The album peaked at number two on the R&B; charts. One year later, Bailey Rae recorded a cover of Coldplays "The Scientist" for the Fifty Shades Darker soundtrack. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 5 Title: Corinne Bailey Rae Released: 2006-02-27 Tracks: 19 Duration: 1:15:59 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Like a Star (04:00) 2 Enchantment (03:58) 3 Put Your Records On (03:34) 4 Till It Happens to You (04:39) 5 Trouble Sleeping (03:29) 6 Call Me When You Get This (05:05) 7 Choux Pastry Heart (03:57) 8 Breathless (04:15) 9 I’d Like To (04:08) 10 Butterfly (03:53) 11 Seasons Change (04:56) 1 Since I’ve Been Loving You (04:24) 2 Emeraldine (04:33) 3 Munich (03:59) 4 Venus as a Boy (02:59) 5 Another Rainy Day (03:16) 6 Daydreaming (03:57) 7 Enchantment (remix) (03:24) 8 I’d Like To (remix) (03:31) |
| Corinne Bailey Rae : Allmusic album Review : When songstress Corinne Bailey Rae released her sashaying single "Put Your Records On" in her native U.K. it was a feel-good adult alternative phenomenon -- a kind of Norah Jones, Joss Stone, David Gray, or Macy Gray phenomenon. One listen to her breakout soft soul anthem and its easy to hear why, since Rae is a mix of all the above but not a contrived one concocted by some major labels scientist. Her self-titled debut sounds a wee rushed and sometimes meanders its way into background music territory, but this comfortable effort is pleasingly homegrown, warm, and poignant in parts, especially when Rae doesnt weaken her strong lyrics with space-filling "doo de do do do"s and "mmmmmmm"s. So if she doesnt make an Alicia Keys-size splash with her debut, shes still a breath of fresh air, and hardly a one-hit wonder. Its risky to open an album with a lazy ballad, but the great "Like a Star" paints Rae as Billie Holidays pop-influenced granddaughter. Mellowing Style Council or Brand New Heavies fans should dig "Trouble Sleeping," while "Butterfly" beautifully captures the full range of emotions that come with leaving the nest. The well-written and direct "Butterfly" suggests Rae could release a more accomplished full-length someday, but attention to "feel" often seems like the driving force in this albums creation. Adjust your expectations accordingly and Raes languid debut is very rewarding. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 5 Title: Live in London & New York Released: 2007-04-03 Tracks: 12 Duration: 59:45 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Call Me When You Get This (05:53) 2 Trouble Sleeping (03:49) 3 Breathless (05:14) 4 Enchantment (04:29) 5 Till It Happens to You (04:53) 6 Since I’ve Been Loving You (05:48) 7 Like a Star (05:26) 8 Put Your Records On (03:53) 9 Butterfly (04:02) 10 I’d Like To (05:28) 11 Choux Pastry Heart (04:56) 12 Seasons Change (05:50) |
| Live in London & New York : Allmusic album Review : Corinne Bailey Raes star rose fast when her single "Put Your Records On" began speaking to the heart of so many in early 2006. Still, her self-titled debut album had "legs" and a year later casual music fans were still discovering and falling in love with her warm, smooth, and touching music. Giving the established fans something new without the hazard of confusing newcomers, Live in London & NY is a pleasurable live set that does more than placehold. It actually displays what a strong performer Rae is and flushes out her character a bit more than her shade-too-lazy debut. Two shows are presented -- London on the DVD and New York on the CD -- and theyre different enough to be distinct, suggesting the singer pegs the feel of different audiences and venues like an artist in concert should. Perhaps her band is a little too stiff, sounding like hired hands that could be working for someone entirely different tomorrow. This is overcome by the always connectable main attraction and her enthusiasm for the material, plus some smart arrangements that expand and strengthen the songs. A fringe release but a strong one that complements her debut. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 5 Title: The Sea Released: 2010-01-20 Tracks: 11 Duration: 42:49 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Are You Here (04:13) 2 I’d Do It All Again (03:08) 3 Feels Like the First Time (03:13) 4 The Blackest Lily (03:38) 5 Closer (04:17) 6 Love’s on Its Way (03:55) 7 I Would Like to Call It Beauty (04:19) 8 Paris Nights/New York Mornings (03:51) 9 Paper Dolls (03:20) 10 Diving for Hearts (04:51) 11 The Sea (04:04) |
| The Sea : Allmusic album Review : After selling four million copies of her debut album, an effort filled with her precious brand of neo-soul and the uplifting hit "Put Your Records On," singer/songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae lost her husband Jason Rae suddenly and took two years off to grieve and recover before returning with her second effort, The Sea. On the album’s opener “Are You Here,” lyrics like “Wait till you see those eyes” and “He’ll kiss you make you feel sixteen” suggest she’s just fallen in love, but the fascinating idea behind The Sea is that it never explains itself, even if there’s a new richness in Rae’s soft and oh-so-tender voice that suggests something has changed deep inside. As such, the song’s “What’s it even mean?” question could be the beginning of a love affair or a tragedy, but the following “I’d Do It All Again” is even trickier, as post-argument lyrics written before her husband’s tragic loss (“You’re searching for something I know/Won’t make you happy”) take on new meaning . Further confusing the matter, throughout the album the singer speaks of her love in the present tense. Then there are the numbers that come from left field, like the slithering, funky “The Blackest Lilly,” which struts like a sexy Rolling Stones song while pulling inspiration from Philadelphia’s neo-soul party, the Black Lily. It comes to a moving end with the title track, a masterful piece that looks back through generations of loss and the majestic ocean of time that “Breaks everything/Crushes everything/Cleans everything.” If it all seems incongruous, so is the recovery process Rae must face, and the album’s cycle of mourning, returning to work, aching, fondly reminiscing, yearning, and then back again won’t be unfamiliar to anyone who has lost someone close. It doesn’t offer any answers, but The Sea is a testament to Rae’s artistic growth as it provides comfort to those left on the wistful side of eternal love, and insight to those who are not. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 5 Title: The Love EP Released: 2011-01-25 Tracks: 5 Duration: 28:41 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 I Wanna Be Your Lover (03:28) 2 Low Red Moon (05:00) 3 Is This Love (03:28) 4 My Love (03:16) 5 Que Sera Sera (13:28) |
 | Album: 5 of 5 Title: The Heart Speaks in Whispers Released: 2016-05-13 Tracks: 12 Duration: 55:31 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 The Skies Will Break (04:53) 2 Hey, I Won’t Break Your Heart (04:48) 3 Been to the Moon (04:04) 4 Tell Me (04:08) 5 Stop Where You Are (04:10) 6 Green Aphrodisiac (05:51) 7 Horse Print Dress (04:03) 8 Do You Ever Think of Me? (05:26) 9 Caramel (05:15) 10 Taken by Dreams (03:55) 11 Walk On (04:26) 12 Night (04:32) |
| The Heart Speaks in Whispers : Allmusic album Review : The gap between The Sea and The Heart Speaks in Whispers, Corinne Bailey Raes second and third albums, was over six years in duration. During the wait for full-length number three, Bailey Rae released The Love EP, a brief set of covers that featured a Grammy-winning update of Bob Marleys "Is This Love." She married Steve Brown, a keyboardist and producer who had been a factor in all of her releases for Capitol. Bailey Rae also shifted from that label to Virgin and worked on new recordings with a handful of old and new collaborators, including Brown and Steve Chrisanthou, as well as Paris and Amber Strother of the emergent King. The Heart Speaks in Whispers naturally doesnt pack the heavy emotional weight of The Sea, an album issued after the multi-instrumentalist tragically lost her then-partner Jason Rae. Its all spirited and lively. At their best, the wide-eyed folk-soul moments tend to evoke a contemporized version of fellow Englishwoman Linda Lewis, even on "Do You Ever Think of Me," assisted by songwriting demigod Valerie Simpson and, through references to "The Makings of You," Curtis Mayfield. The more electrified and groove-oriented material is bound to elicit parallels drawn to the likes of early Erykah Badu and, well, King. Each one of the Strother collaborations is stimulating, with lyrics and productions that complement one another. "Been to the Moon" swoops and slides, reflecting Bailey Raes alternation between delighted and demanding exclamations. Its dazzling electro-soul gives way to a trumpet, saxophone, and flute coda that works far better than it should. "Horse Print Dress," more like purple paisley, is ecstatic, private, joyful synth-funk, while the dazed "Green Aphrodisiac" drifts along on a sinewy, unmistakable Marcus Miller bassline. Multiple allusions to working past bitterness and metaphorical storms help cast the album in a rejuvenating light. Despite all the likenesses that can be heard, it all comes out fresh, pieced together and transmitted in a way that no one but Bailey Rae -- a remarkable and flexible artist with some very real life experiences -- can approximate. | ||