The Sea ~ Corinne Bailey Rae

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars “I DONT WANT TO GIVE YOU UP, BUT I DONT WANT TO HOLD YOU UP”, January 27, 2010 I wish I was writing reviews for Amazon back in 2006. That’s when Corrine Bailey Rae gave us her outstanding self-titled debut album. That album would have definitely received the prestigious 5-star on my scale. She was new, fresh and had a soft voice that glided over the entire album. Her sound was more India.Aire than Alicia Keys. Her homegrown style was reminiscent of a young Joni Mitchell. Then tragedy hit with the death of her husband. I knew it would be a long time before I heard a new Corrine song again. But then she jumps back in the studio a year later working on her next album. The buzz was that this was going to be a more emotional album.(Which is perfect since her first album lacked a lot of emotion.) Now, Corrine Bailey Rae is back with “The Sea”.

Corrine’s first album had that sunny day, holding hands, walking through the grass barefoot kind of feel to it. “The Sea” is more therapeutic. She has totally abanded her bubblegum style with rock themed songs like “Paper Dolls”. “The Blackest Lily” is another fast paced song that sounds like it should have had Cyndi Lauper singing the hook. (And I think I heard auto-tune at the end.) The problem is that Corrine’s voice is not made for that genre. She doesn’t have the voice of a Erykah Badu so she gets lost behind the rhythm. Besides those couple setbacks the album is very good. Her poetic lyrics impress me on “Closer, I Do It All Again & Diving For Hearts” Mid tempo songs like “Feels Like The First Time & Paris Nights/New York Mornings” have a good groove. There’s a different vibe with her ballads, they are all depressing like on “Love’s On The Way & I Would Like To Call It Beauty”. And the title track is good but it ends the album on a very sad note.

What is there not to like about Corrine Bailey Rae. She’s smooth, classy and not bad to look at. She’s like a young Sade. Her first album was her introduction to the world. Now “The Sea” is her testimonial album. She’s the type of person who will not care if her album goes triple platinum. As long as people understand her message and see how she felt. For some people writing is the best cure for heartbreak. It helps them get over grieving. Though not as good as her first album, Corrine Bailey Rae has shown that she has moved on from the grieving process and has begun to heal.

D THRILL reviewed: