If you’ve kept up with Corinne Bailey Rae over the years, your mind likely goes to one place—to that dusty road where, in the video for “Put Your Records On,” she and a few friends biked casually through the countryside. It was a lovely scene, a strong sign of togetherness and femininity, set against a sunlit backdrop. It was the second single of Rae’s 2006 debut album, and one of the first times we saw the singer/guitarist, whose blend of soul music is equally weightless and captivating. Rae quickly became a star; in 2007, she was nominated for three Grammy awards and three Brit awards, and her debut record has sold four million copies worldwide.
Yet in 2008, Rae’s husband, Jason, died after an overdose of alcohol and methadone. It led to a creative hiatus and a moment of intense reflection. “For a huge period, I didn’t want to do anything,” Rae told The Independent in 2010. “It was like a barrenness which I’d never experienced; this sense of time just stretching and stretching and not having anything to put into it all.” As a result, Rae’s follow-up album—The Sea—felt sullen, full of edgy sounds expressing loss and despair. That was six years ago.
Following yet another hiatus from music, Rae is back with a new album and a lush new sound. The vibe is far more colorful than anything she’s done previously, and her collaborators—KING, Esperanza Spalding, Moses Sumney and others—set a high bar for unique alternative art. The Heart Speaks in Whispers was partially recorded in Los Angeles where, according to Billboard, Rae fell in love with its black Bohemian alternative scene. “All these musicians know each other and hang out,” she told them. “Thundercat, J Davey, Flying Lotus, Kamasi Washington—all the people who circle around Kendrick Lamar...I felt like I was in heaven.” You hear those influences throughout, especially on songs “Been to the Moon,” “Green Aphrodisiac,” “Horse Print Dress,” and “Taken by Dreams,” gentle pop/R&B hybrids with a California sheen. Aided by KING members Paris and Amber Strother, who collaborated on parts of this album, you hear vestiges of their sound on “Tell Me,” a cavernous pop jam worthy of the group’s own stellar LP. Spalding, who also released a great record this year, sings background on “Green Aphrodisiac,” and Sumney lends his golden voice to “Caramel.” While this is Rae’s album, Heart feels like a group effort in that regard, like the result of several jam sessions set by the crew’s collective energy.
Unlike The Sea, with its dark themes and heavy rhythms, Heart offers broader emotional range, and Rae seems at peace with her life and newfound direction. The mood feels wide open, centered on spacious grooves, and the lyrics seem lifted from Rae’s diary, a heart-fluttering prose that lands softly on your ear. She sings about dreams, of walking through figurative darkness in search of brighter days. “Hey, I Won’t Break Your Heart,” a meditative ballad near the album’s beginning, speaks of summertime romance and the cautious optimism of a new relationship. Heart represents the best of Rae’s first two albums, connecting the understated charm of her debut with The Sea’s pensive tone. It makes for a fascinating listen, one filled with catharsis and inspiration. Rae doesn’t directly mention her past struggles, but her light permeates this record, leaving a shining example of strength and perseverance.
