The Sea

No! We're not going to the seaside although that would be rather fun but it's the name of Corinne Bailey Rae's new album issued in the UK on Virgin today.It's been a good while in the making from S/T which sold four million copies world-wide and picked up several awards through the untimely death in 2008 of her partner. Many of the songs such as the opener 'Are You Here' are built on insistent bass riffs and another 'The Blackest Lily' is driven by heavy bass and rock guitar solo a reflection of her past involvement in rock.Stylistically many of these songs are slow reflective pieces with some uptempo numbers added to avoid the drift toward the maudlin.'I Would call It Beauty' is a gorgeous slow piece.
Of the ballads 'The Sea' a piece inspired by the downing of her Grandfather, has lush beatlesque qualitys and closes the album on a high. My copy was the digipak but really it's more a mini lp style gatefold sleeve minus a inner sleeve.
I'd grade it three and a half out of five which may sound low but this album is heads and shoulders above much of what R&B divas come up with lyrically and stylistically and is a slow grower.