I came across this album while i was at a Starbucks. I had heard the name before, but I didn't know where. So when i got home I immediately got on the computer and found her myspace page. Right off the bat I dug the shit out of her music. The first song i heard was "I'd Do It All Again", a retro style song with a delicate acoustic guitar intro that fits perfectly alongside Rae's girlish voice.
The Next song I listened to was Closer, a funky R&B jam that I know many will have difficulty counting in at the beginning, the guitar lick intro will have you scratching your head until the drums kick in, but in a very cool way.
Right afterword, I went on itunes and bought the album, and it was just as good as the first two song I had listened to.
The Sea is Corinne's sophomore album, and no slump whatsoever on this one. This album was a couple songs in when she lost her husband, who overdosed on methadone and alcohol.
Needless to say, it affected the rest of the record. For a while, she didn't record anything, but when she did work her way back in the studio to finish recording, she became very involved. The album has a very specific sound, that teeter-totters on the line that separates genres. She has her pop type song, Paris Nights/New York Mornings, an uptempo song that might be comparable to and instrumental you might hear on a Lily Allen song. Are You Here, an indie rock style jam, that has an insatiable drum part that thumps through the chorus, then explodes into the bridge section, as Corrine sings in a falsetto, with background vocals drenched in re verb.
And get this, there's even a Hendrix Cover. She covers Little Wing, but does it with and Erykah Badu style R&B groove, complete with victorious background vocals, and both a Rhodes piano and an organ. And it's not like she butchered it, she completely did it justice. Before she was into R&B, Soul, and Jazz, she was actually a rocker, complete with the punk haircut, and was fronting a rock band called Helen.
The Sea is not a happy album. Even on the pop tunes. Everything has this melancholy quality about it. However, that does not take away from the fact this is a beautifully sensitive, emotional record. She proves you can take your situation, your sadness, and make it your own.
I know I'll be looking to hear more from Corinne Bailey Rae.
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