| Corinne Bailey Rae: The Future Of Soul? |
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| Written by Ife Oshun | |
 Zillions
of folks have been asking the same questions lately... Who is Corinne
Bailey Rae? Where does she come from? And is she really the future of
soul
music?
The UK-born singer/songwriter whose influences include Led Zeppelin, Massive Attack, Jill Scott and Hole (Courtney Love's band) has been compared to Billie Holiday and critically acclaimed to the nth degree with her self-titled debut, released June 2006. Combining soul and pop sensibilities with jazzy vocal stylings and an indescribable onstage innocence, the lanky vocalist is humble when painting a picture of her music. "[It's] a little bit of everything: it's chilled out, acoustic, kooky, atmospheric and soulful," she says. "I'd also be tempted to say it comes from a very organic place, but that would sound pretentious, so I won't." But as the guitar-strumming 26 year-old waxes sparse with the self-praise, others laud her to the skies. While the Hollywood Reporter calls her "a confident and swinging new star," USA Today dubs her album "... a gorgeous summer soundtrack" and People magazine offers a four-star Critic's Choice CD review, in which they describe her voice as "a sublime instrument... that slays you with its sultry allure, quirky charms and jazzy, understated cool." Not bad for the ex-member of a failed indie band and former hat check girl. On top of the critical acclaim is the success very few newbie artists receive. In March, Rae made history as the first female British artist to enter the U.K. album chart at No. 1 with a debut album of original songs. The set debuted at an impressive No. 17 on The Billboard 200 and has seen her book numerous national television appearances venues such as "The Tonight With Jay Leno," "Good Morning America," "Live with Regis and Kelly" and "The Tavis Smiley Show." To top it off, the singer recently wowed a sold out house at Los Angeles' famed Troubadour with none other than Prince in the audience. The rarity of which this type of success happens for a new artist is indeed rare, but even more so for a young British soul singer making her way in the US market - simultaneously the most sought after and the most cruel. As the speed with which she's broken the rules is pondered, it doesn't seem that wild to wonder if this compelling, multi-layered woman isn't the future of soul music after all. More Corinne Bailey Rae:
VIDEO: "Like A Star" - Windows |Real |Quicktime |
