HiphopRnbSoul.com

Listening to the self-titled debut from singer/songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae is like hearing sunshine pouring into your ear, or soaking in a jacuzzi tub filled with liquid light. Lyrics, arrangements, production... everything's so completely satisfying it leaves you drenched and sated... and still needing more.

hiphoprnbsoul rating:

Download this album

From the quiet whisper of "Like A Star" to the swelling finale of "Seasons Change," Rae manages to cradle the listener in the warmth of her insight, honesty, and candid nature. So complete is her spell, it's hard to believe it when the last track ends; the set's eleven tracks just breeze by and are never once accompanied by a thought of hitting the forward button.

Rae manages to combine perfectly her obvious knowledge of classic soul song structure with a refreshingly unique, contemporary and vital approach. This jaded reviewer has yet to locate anything similar to this in the mainstream, in fact here is one of those rare instances where the lead single, the excellent "Put Your Lights On," is not only a classic, but also serves as a herald for the superior quality of the set as a whole.

A good example of Rae's velvet cutting edge is "I'd Like To" which offers a funky, almost walking bass mixed with a bubbling guitar that produces a blaxploitation vibe smoothed out with soulful horns. But if you think you can guess how that translates, you'll never know until you actually hear how she flips it lyrically and vocally. The result is the underpinnings of the familiar and the fleshed out whole of the new, as also evidenced in "Call Me When You Get This," a breathless gem sounding as if it was blessed by the muse of Mr. Marvin Gaye.

Comparisons to Billie Holiday and Erykah Badu aside, one cannot escape the quiet power of her voice showcased sublimely on "Choux Pastry Heart" and the aptly titled "Breathless," while the lady's lyrics easefully paints pictures of everyday miracles.

The sequence of the songs reminds one of an era when albums actually took you on a journey, so do yourself a favor, go out and buy the physical CD. Revel in the lyrics and artistic feel of the the liner notes as the music christens you. Then have a good cry when you realize Corinne Bailey Rae is an anomaly floating in the sea of so-called-urban mediocrity we've allowed ourselves to settle for and drown in.

Download:  the entire album or better yet cop the CD

  To purchase CDs, click on the cover art or title link. To legally download, click on the iTunes logo. If you do not have iTunes, you can download it here by clicking the "download iTunes" logo above.