Music Review: Corinne Bailey Rae's "The Sea"

By our guest blogger, Megan O'Malley

Corinne Bailey Rae recently released her second album, "The Sea." It has been four years since her last album, part of it is due to the fact that in 2008, her husband, Jason Rae, passed away. She has commented that this album has helped with her grieving process and that she channeled her feelings into these songs. As such, "The Sea" is highly personal yet still something you can relate to.

Although this album was written while she was grieving over the death of her husband, it isn’t overly ballad heavy. Songs such as “I’d Do It All Again” and “Love is On It’s Way” give listeners an insight into the pain she is feeling, but the album isn’t weighed down by grief. She told People Magazine that her music is a healing process for her and the songs are evident of that. In an album that could be entirely filled with heart-heavy tunes, Rae chose to show her release from pain with all sorts of songs--both uplifting and sorrowful.

Some of the standouts include “The Blackest Lily,” which has a danceable beat, although there are parts where her voice gets drowned out a bit.  It's one of those songs that is perfect for driving and singing along to. “Paris Nights/New York Mornings” is a fun little ditty. The poppy tune fits in nicely with the rest of the album, but would work as a stand-alone single as well. “Diving for Hearts” is a great way to end the album because it has this high crescendo and the ending of the tune is very final--if there was another song to come after it, the album would lose its power.

This album is great for easing into springtime. Rae’s voice is lilting enough that it translates easily from ballad to pop, and it captures the mood of both winter and spring. She uses her voice in a way that captures the basic raw emotions all humans feel. The sorrowful songs are perfect for cold winter nights while the more upbeat tunes are full of bloom and happiness.

Rae’s album is filled with depth and truth, something many artists cannot achieve with their music. She’s not putting on an act like Lady GaGa or singing her songs in order to sell records; instead, Rae’s album is a therapy session for the entire world to hear. Just like its title, "The Sea" is an album that's ever-changing--it's full of both torment and calm.