Corinne Bailey Rae’s sophomore album The Sea was just released yesterday. Strangely, The Sea is being promoted and reviewed as a “raw, less manicured sound” than Rae’s self-titled debut. Yet I feel the opposite is true. The languid, jazz-influenced intimacy of Corinne’s debut has been replaced with a bigger, blander, much more polished sound.
The Sea was one of my most anticipated releases of the new year, but has turned out to be my first big disappointment of 2010. I really wanted and have tried to like this album, but it just seems to annoy and bore me more with each listen.
Many of the songs on The Sea were inspired by the death of Corinne’s husband. But the potential poignancy is often sadly lost in lackluster arrangements, beginning with the opener “Are You Here?.” The lovely ballad “I Would Like to Call It Beauty” does a better job of capturing its emotional inspiration, but I always lose patience with the album before then.
“I’d Do It All Again” initially resurrects the gentle acoustic style of Corinne’s debut, but gradually churns up into a desperate, surging keen. This could’ve been interesting, but (like many of the tracks) the repetitive nature of the chorus gets in the way. And while Corinne’s delicate voice is beautifully suited to softer melodies, this is one of many examples of what seems to be a failed attempt to imitate Alicia Keys.
The glossy production is most glaringly apparent in the grating hyper-pop choruses of “Paris Nights/New York Mornings” and “Paper Dolls.” However, the rocked up retro pop-soul ditty “The Blackest Lily” achieves a catchy, radio friendly sound, and the album does end on an upward swing…
“Diving For Hearts” finally succeeds in combining Corinne’s graceful past with her ambitious present, embellishing a pretty melody with a funky psychedelic rock chorus. And the album’s title track is the whisper soft finale.
I was not granted permission to share an mp3, but you can hear samples at the links below.
3 Responses to “Corinne Bailey Rae: The Sea”
You’re a bitch for publishing this turd of a review so ridiculously off-base.
Michael – Thank you for taking the time to make such an intelligent, eloquent response.
As I’ve said before, musical taste is subjective. Everything I post here is my personal opinion, and you are quite welcome to disagree. I do wish you had been a little more respectful in doing so, but to each his own.
[...] new album The Sea from her label. So time for another CD giveaway! Granted, I gave the album an unfavorable review, but I seem to be the only person in the world who doesn’t like it and I’m curious if [...]