CORRINE BAILEY RAE 'THE SEA
By Nessa Jennings
When Corinne Bailey
Rae (pictured
at the 2009 Mojo
Awards) released her self-titled
debut album in 2006, the success
of that album was instant
and immense, both in the UK
and America, where she ʻgatecrashed
ʼ the Billboard charts.
It had been decades since a British
artist had achieved immediate
recognition in the States. Awards
followed, and accolades from her
soul peers. She is in good company,
with singers like Stevie Wonder,
Erykah Badu and Jill Scott.
The album grabbed me personally,
maybe because it was ʻlightʼ
and catchy. In reality, it kept me
going for over a year. Absolutely
great listening. Tunes like: ʻIt
Could Happen to Youʼ; ʻPut your
Records Onʼ; ʻLike A Starʼ and
ʻCall Me When You Get Thisʼ.
The music was joyful. Rae took
a nostalgic glimpse back to her
early years growing up amongst
summer parties and heat waves in
one song of desire, ʻhoping that
the boys will call for meʼ, capturing
the good feelings of youth and
excitement.
Itʼs the type of music thatʼs always
giving thanks. The album
has had sales of four million copies
to date.
She became a favourite on
the Jools Holland show, exuding
charm and sparkle when she
took the stage with her guitar and
band. And, at the risk of sounding
shallow, which she is not, she has
incredible dress sense.
Unfortunately, in the middle of
a burgeoning career, Corrinne had
a great tragedy when her husband,
Scottish-born Jason Rae, 31, was
found dead from an accidental
methadone overdose in Leeds on
22nd March, 2008.
Leeds-born Bailey Rae, 30, met
her husband when she worked as
a cloakroom attendant in a Leeds
jazz club while a student in the
city. The pair married in 2001,
and Jason, a jazz saxophonist,
brought her on, encouraging her
to make the first album.
She says she took a year off
to try and recover from her loss
during which she did absolutely
nothing.
And now, out of this grieving
process, has emerged her latest
album ʻThe Seaʼ. Although some
of the songs were written before
Jasonʼs death, Rae has used music
as a tool for healing when recording
the album, saying “There is
something miraculous that pushes
you along, makes you keep going,
makes you carry on. Itʼs really
about the mystery of that. In fact,
the whole album is about that in
a way; itʼs about loss but itʼs also
about hope, about keeping going
and trying to find that beauty.”
Of ʻIʼd Do It All Againʼ, the
first single; Rae said “Itʼs a love
song, but a difficult love song– itʼs
about when things are really difficult,
to the point where theyʼre
actually hurting your pride. I
wrote it after this big argument
we had. Itʼs just a demonstration
of my commitment.”
The song title “I would like to
call it… beauty” comes from a
late-night conversation she had
with Jasonʼs younger brother
comparing their views of the
world. ʻThe Seaʼ is about a family
tragedy: Bailey Raeʼs maternal
grandfather died in a boating accident.
Another ʻtotalʼ album, more
mature, very emotional, which
washes the room with beauty and
elegance, she says of it, “ʻThe
Seaʼ covers the waterfront of human
emotion. Yes, the worst kind
of heartbreak is in there. But so
are the best kinds of love.”
And this album is without a
doubt one of the most honest
works of recent years, and one of
the most beautiful too. |
