welleducated's Full Review: Corinne Bailey Rae (Special Edition) by Corinne Ba...
This review includes tracks from the Special Edition 2nd CD.
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In a time of hip-hop booty-smacking, Corinne Bailey Rae's self-titled debut broke the mold of today's mainstream artists by combining the smooth rhythms of soul with the feel good sounds of traditional pop music. Ms. Rae gives each track a little "extra something" by pulling threads of previous music eras into each strand of her soul-pop. She broke through in her native U.K. with the smash "Put Your Records On," which sashays with hints of poodle skirts and pompadours.
Rae's voice is luscious and velvety, playing into the harmonies and grooves of each track creating haunting melodies, like those in "Enchantment," that worm their way into your body. Whether you grew up in the generation or not, "Enchantment" carries one away with beatnik shoulder popping, swiveling hips and head bobbing. Rae goes even farther with "Till It Happens to You," even leading into the track with the sound of a needle coming down onto old vinyl. A sincere ballad in the manner of traditional lounge singing, the soft static of vinyl, squeaking acoustic guitar and old fashioned keyboards can be heard running throughout "Till It Happens to You."
Rae blends a wide variety of instruments, from a full string section, the classic snare, simple chimes and, of course, her versatile voice to set a mood. And while tracks such as "Trouble Sleeping" and "I'd Like To" have much to offer, Rae's remaining tracks begin to blend together, fading into pleasant background noise. But don't let that scare you off! It takes time to learn how to fill an album with 4 and 5 star tracks. Even after years, some artists can never get the mix quite right. Someone with the Rae's ability to open an album with a ballad ("Like a Star") and create anticipation has the skill to be more than a one-hit wonder.
"Like a Star" is the highlight of this album. While underplayed compared to the popular "Put Your Records On," it is "Like a Star" which embodies the spirit which Rae brings to her work - a soulful simplicity of innocence and childhood spirit. It is with a womanly voice that she sings with the naivety of someone much younger, staring at the world with stars in her eyes and hope in her heart. There is something beautiful in that mixture and the way she recreates the wonder of the world in the minds of her listeners that is very seductive.
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The Special Edition includes a second CD with an additional 8 tracks – 6 of them original with 2 remixes. The additional tracks feature a variety of Rae’s style with no real central theme.
“Since I’ve Been Loving You” is straightforward, soulful blues with a loose bass and a clean piano. Rae accompanies in the mournful style of icon Billy Holiday, showing a side beyond the wide-eyed simplicity that fills the tracks on her original self-titled release. In “Since I’ve Been Loving You,” Rae brings the emotions of a much older woman suffering heartbreak at a stage of life when new love is hard to find. Then she follows up with “Emeraldine,” a track reminiscent of the lilting, roundabout twirls of Edie Brickel’s “Circle [of Friends].” Yet the resemblance branches off there into a whimsical use of guitar and chimes to give a sense of a being lost in the surreal of a daydream.
One of the stronger tracks, “Munich” is profound and haunting. The song is straight acoustics with most of it leaning on a simple guitar and Rae’s voice, which drips with irony as she sings “People are fragile things, you should know by now. You’ll speak when you’re spoken to.” Meanwhile, “Venus as a Boy” harkens back to the original tracks on the first CD, but the innocent, wisp of her voice belies the highly sexual lyrics: “He’s exploring the taste of her, arousal so accurate.” An intriguing track with a great groove, the odd use of keyboards keeps intruding, sounding more like a doorbell is ringing than a song is playing. I would love to hear a remix sans the intrusion.
After “Venus as a Boy,” the album really needs another strong track to bring the album up. Instead, it slips into a “sound-alike” track – “Another Rainy Day” – that just sends the mind wandering off, trying to recall if the burner on the stove is on. “Another Rainy Day” is a true disappointment and the first time Rae stoops to fill a song with “doo de dums.” To add salt to the wound, “Daydreaming” follows up as a weak “Dream Girls”-styled anthem that just wimps out as the song goes along. It pales in comparison to Jennifer Hudson’s rendition of “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going.”
However, the remixes get things moving again. The Amp Fiddler Remix of “Enchantment” gets things popping again. You can hear the potential for a truly danceable remix that would be played nonstop in every trendy club, but a few awkward shifts in tempo keep it from truly breaking out into greatness. The Weekender Mix of “I’d Like To” surpasses the original and brings in the 70s funk. As Rae’s voice scrapes and rolls, this second CD finally ends on a high note as with Rae proclaiming “I just like the simple things!”
I’d like to say “Buy it!” Unfortunately, the 2nd CD just doesn’t add much to the mix. It’s probably a better value to buy the original, single CD release and buy a download of the “I’d Like To” Weekender Mix (which is WELL worth the download price). The original version of “Enchantment” is more desirable than the remix and, as much as I enjoy “Munich,” the additional tracks just don’t warrant the purchase of a second CD. Even the cover art and liner notes are nearly identical to the original and have nothing significant to offer.
Tracks with my individual ratings (* to *****):
First CD (original release) ****
1. Like a Star *****
2. Enchantment ****
3. Put Your Records On *****
4. Till It Happens to You ****
5. Trouble Sleeping *****
6. Call Me When You Get This ***
7. Choux Pastry Heart ***
8. Breathless ***
9. I'd Like To ****
10. Like a Butterfly ***
11. Seasons Change ***
Second CD (special edition release) ***
1. Since I’ve Been Loving You ***
2. Emeraldine ***
3. Munich ****
4. Venus as a Boy ***
5. Another Rainy Day **
6. Daydreaming *
7. Enchantment [Amp Fiddler Remix] ***
8. I’d Like To [Weekender Mix] *****
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