The Sea (Amazon Exclusive Version)

Corinne Bailey Rae | Format: MP3 Download

Product Details

• Original Release Date: January 26, 2010
• Release Date: January 26, 2010
• Label: Capitol
• Copyright: (C) 2010 EMI Records Ltd This label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2010 EMI Records Ltd
• Total Length: 47:08
• Genres:
• ASIN: B00334Y0LK
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (86 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rae has released an absolute gem, February 5, 2010

By 

Liam F. "WLF" (Melbourne, VIC Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Sea (Audio CD)

Rae's sophomore release is a major departure from her sunny day, stroll in the park debut. The material on THE SEA is melancholic but overall outstandingly beautiful. All 11 tracks convey this hauntingly elegant moodiness but in 11 different ways. Here's how.

1. "Are You Here": The opening guitar chords reintroduces the listener to Rae. Rae's opening notes reminds how honey-coated her vocals are. Later in the track, the songs takes an abrupt shift, changes key and a storm of electric guitars descend - skirting Radiohead territory.

2. "I'd Do It All Again": My personal favourite. If I had my way, NARAS should have this as a nominee for ROTY and SOTY. Simply exquisite, simply poetic. This is complex songwriting - the chord progressions are completely original and a level-up in instrumental arrangement on "Like A Star". When the song hits the bridge and Rae's voice soars, you're simply just carried away. Her vocal nuances are delicate and absolutely sublime.

3. "Feels Like The First Time": A catchy song that opens with some heavy piano tinkling. It's a mark of the chorus, that is the complete opposite of the song's peaceful verses. The groove is hot.

4. "The Blackest Lily": Wow - Rae brought on the britpop on this album too. I reckon there are 3 songs on this album in this vein, but all 3 are somewhat different. This, the first of the 3, is an all-out rocker. Completely unexpected and unforetold from her debut. A pleasant surprise.

5. "Closer": Check out the beats on this track. I dare you to tell me the groove is not sick. Reminiscent of The Artist Formerly Known as Prince both in vocal delivery and instrumental arrangement. Very sexy.

6. "Love's On Its Way": The opening verse wanders aimlessly a little, but sets the scene for the chorus. This song just builds and builds, and the layers of instruments gradually hit epic-scale. When it finally erupts in the 3rd minute, the swirling synths, soaring background vocals, heavy drumbeats and Rae's voice lifts it up. The words hit hard: [love's on its way/I hope it won't be too late] Poetic.

7. "I Would Like To Call It Beauty": Most unsurprising track of all, as it is closest to the material of her debut. Simple little acoustic track that never really gets too loud and is easy on the ear, which provides the listener with a breather after all that's happened with the first 6 tracks.

8. "Paris Nights/New York Mornings": The pace picks up once again. This is song 2 of 3 that is a throwback to the Britpop era of Blur and Oasis. Call it the revved up version of "Put Your Records On" if you like. Perhaps the most cheerful song of this collection.

9. "Paper Dolls": Song 3 of 3 of Britpop reference, and the heaviest one. Essentially a rock outing, and so catchy.

10. "Diving For Hearts": Laced with heavy guitar distortions and helter-skelter beats. Perhaps the oddest of the bunch and could signify what would happen if Rae ventured further into alternative music. It reminded me a little of Coldplay's tracks on PARACHUTES - that's a good thing because that's my all time favourite Coldplay album. At minute 3.50, unexpected chorals enter the scene to bring in the final climactic ending. I would most welcome Rae to explore this type of music in future.

11. "The Sea": A most fitting album closer. The words do much more than the song for me here, especially if you know what she's been through: [goodbye/paradise... ] This song has a bittersweet quality to it, in that the instrumentation and melody is one of happiness, while the words are sad. Rae exits album no.2, quietly and thoughtfully, with the following words: [The sea/the majestic sea/breaks everything/crashes everything/cleans everything/takes everything/from me].

I wanted more when it was all over. This is a testament to Rae's artistry and how she has matured as an artist. Top-notch production and engineering too.

My only reservation is did it take the tragic turn in her life to inspire such genius?

This album is pure perfection and in my opinion, one of the best albums released so far in Grammy's 2010-2011 eligibility period. Would be a complete shame and crime if Rae didn't book herself a slot in AOTY.

From one fellow music lover to others, don't miss out. Get this one.

Liam F

6 Feb 2010

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I listened to it all night long, January 29, 2010

By 

Hulamama (Hawaii) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Sea (Audio CD)

I found it stunning, haunting, beautiful and a joy to listen to. Every time I listen to it, it gets even better. Her voice is more mature, the words are well written. It has more variety than her first CD. And did I say, I love her voice. I'm not a music critic, just someone who loves music, and this is the real thing. Get this CD, you will be happy you did!

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Powerful, profound, a complete work of art-- actually, four and a half stars, May 15, 2010

By 

Christopher Lake (Albuquerque, NM) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sea (Audio CD)

Most fans of Corinne Bailey Rae probably already know about the "background" of this CD, but for those who don't, she recorded it while in the process of grieving for her late husband, Jason Bruce Rae, who died, suddenly, of an accidental drug overdose (he had been trying to quit). However (and I believe that this fact is crucially important for understanding and appreciating "The Sea" as an album), certain songs on the disc, such as "I'd Do It All Again," were actually written by Corinne before her husband died but not recorded until afterward-- which gives them, and the entire album itself, an even greater degree of poignancy and depth.

A few reviewers have commented that her vocal performances here sound as though she "is not trying." In my view (and personal experience with this disc), one must actually sit down and seriously listen-- carefully, attentively-- to the entire work, sometimes reading along with the lyrics (and I had to do all of these things more than once), in order to really "get" why Corinne chooses to sing exactly as she does in these songs. It is a deliberate choice on her part, and understood in context, it is extremely powerful.

The first song, "Are You Here?," is a good example. Corinne's vocals sound, alternately, spacey, numb, melancholic, and blissful, as she recalls her husband, almost as if he were still with her in this life-- because in a certain sense, for her, he *is* still with her. It's a dark, wounded, haunting song, on an album that, overall, is decidedly not a "party album."

However, the pensive mood of the disc does not at all mean that it is a "bad" piece of work (in terms of quality). On the contrary, for what Corinne seemingly intended "The Sea" to be, artistically, it is a stunning success-- in my opinion, a near-masterpiece. It really is a complete work of art, with soul, intelligence, and layers of meaning, in a way that is increasingly rare to find in contemporary popular music.

The album is also *not* a total submersion into melancholy, despite what some reviewers have stated. Catch the delicate balance of emotions captured on "Closer" or "Paris Nights/New York Mornings," in which Corinne sings with joyful vim and vigor, while still retaining an undercurrent of wistfulness and longing for the past. This is quite simply amazing work, both musically and vocally. Very few contemporary artists, in any genre of popular music, are writing and performing at Corinne's level, as shown on this disc.

Her new band, showcased here, performs (as does Corinne herself) with both musical skill and raw feeling. The emphasis here is on purity and authenticity of artistic expression, rather than scrubbed-clean, antiseptic performances which will fit in nicely with the interchangeable divas of the mainstream pop hit parade. Corinne is simply on a different poetic and aesthetic wavelength than most contemporary R&B/soul singers. She always has been on a different wavelength, but this album has made that fact more obviously clear-- and we, as listeners, are the richer for it.

I have listened to "The Sea" many, many times over the last few months. The songs resonate with me in a particularly personal way, as one who has experienced the sudden, unexpected deaths of family members and friends in my own life over the years. However, even apart from my personal "identification" of sorts with Corinne's grief, as heard expressed in these songs-- just purely on the level of art itself, "The Sea" is a formidable achievement. Again, complete albums, such as this one-- true, profound, artistic statements-- do not come along very often in this age of soundbites and surfaces.

Serious lovers of music should be grateful for what Corinne has given us here. I believe that in her own way, she has achieved, with this collection of songs, something just as powerful as Marvin Gaye did with "What's Going On," or John Lennon did with "Plastic Ono Band." To Corinne, I must say that this amateur music reviewer, fellow human being, and yes, thankful fan, salutes you for persevering through grief and pain to give us such a deep, life-affirming, and (I believe time will prove) enduring work. In the liner notes for the CD booklet, Corinne states, with hard-won understanding, that "God is a mystery and a healer." "The Sea," itself, could also be a form of healing for her and a source of enrichment for her listeners. May they be many. This album deserves wide and serious recognition. Four and one-half stars out of five.