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Corinne Bailey Rae introduces second album

posted by ChickSpeak
Tuesday, February 2, 2010 at 5:16pm CST

In 2008, just two years after the release of her eponymous debut album, Corinne Bailey Rae was dealt the unthinkable blow of learning of the death of her husband of seven years, 32-year-old saxophonist Jason Rae, from an accidental drug overdose. In 2010, after a self-imposed hiatus, the soulful songstress is back stronger than ever and on her way to releasing a sophomore album that shows just that.

”My heart’s an open door,” croons Bailey Rae on the first single from The Sea, the unwaveringly honest and vulnerable “I’d Do It All Again.” Directed by fellow Brit Jamie Thraves, known for his unhurried filming style, the video follows a stunning Bailey Rae going through her daily motions, all the while preoccupied by the troubles of her heart, a condition not unlike with what she endured during her time of grief. Written two months before her husband’s passing, Bailey Rae has said the song was intended as a testimony of her love after an argument the two had.

With swelling strings and a backing choir, the song is the perfect introduction to a new chapter in her life and a new stage in her musical prowess. Gone are the curly bob and cutoff shorts that were Bailey Rae’s staples in videos like “Put Your Records On,” where she cheerfully and gaily rode through a sunlit and flowered bike path. In their place are a magnificently voluminous mane and a sophisticated trench coat as she strides through bleak roads on a gloomy London day.

The somberness of the disc’s first single, though, is not necessarily reflective of the CD as a whole. Bailey Rae’s sunny spirit - the same refreshing spirit that set her apart, and has continued to set her apart, from her less sincere contemporaries - shines through on tracks like the up-tempo “Are You Here” and the jazzy “Closer” and is just as pleasantly neo-hippie as it was when the vibrant Brit debuted.

The title track, “The Sea,” is perhaps most reminiscent of the light, airy aura that saturated her debut effort. She was a breath of fresh air when listeners were introduced to her only two short years ago and, thankfully, that aspect of Bailey Rae’s appeal has not changed. What has changed about the now 30-year-old songbird is her seemingly newly awoken ability to tap into the skill that has propelled her to the forefront of her genre.

Bailey Rae sings with a passion and power that underlines not only how much she has grown as a singer-songwriter, but as a woman as well. Her voice carries both melody and meaning and simultaneously pulls at heartstrings and inspires whimsical notions, truly a skill that many an artist could only wish to master.

Bailey Rae, who stretched her producer wings on this album as well, is an artist special in her sincerity and rare in her timelessness. In so many ways, The Sea is reflective of these qualities.

To check out Corinne’s site, click here, and to pick up her new album, visit iTunes or click here.

Faithlynn Morris enjoys all types of music, but knows that if she needs some serenity in her life - or some good music to ride her bike to on a sunny day - Corrine Bailey Rae is the way to go.