The gap between
The Sea and
The Heart Speaks in Whispers,
Corinne Bailey Rae's second and third albums, was over six years in duration. During the wait for full-length number three,
Bailey Rae released
The Love EP, a brief set of covers that featured a Grammy-winning update of
Bob Marley's "Is This Love." She married
Steve Brown, a keyboardist and producer who had been a factor in all of her releases for
Capitol.
Bailey Rae also shifted from that label to
Virgin and worked on new recordings with a handful of old and new collaborators, including
Brown and
Steve Chrisanthou, as well as
Paris and
Amber Strother of the emergent
King.
The Heart Speaks in Whispers naturally doesn't pack the heavy emotional weight of
The Sea, an album issued after the multi-instrumentalist tragically lost her then-partner
Jason Rae. It's all spirited and lively. At their best, the wide-eyed folk-soul moments tend to evoke a contemporized version of fellow Englishwoman
Linda Lewis, even on "Do You Ever Think of Me," assisted by songwriting demigod
Valerie Simpson and, through references to "The Makings of You,"
Curtis Mayfield. The more electrified and groove-oriented material is bound to elicit parallels drawn to the likes of early
Erykah Badu and, well,
King. Each one of the
Strother collaborations is stimulating, with lyrics and productions that complement one another. "Been to the Moon" swoops and slides, reflecting
Bailey Rae's alternation between delighted and demanding exclamations. Its dazzling electro-soul gives way to a trumpet, saxophone, and flute coda that works far better than it should. "Horse Print Dress," more like purple paisley, is ecstatic, private, joyful synth-funk, while the dazed "Green Aphrodisiac" drifts along on a sinewy, unmistakable
Marcus Miller bassline. Multiple allusions to working past bitterness and metaphorical storms help cast the album in a rejuvenating light. Despite all the likenesses that can be heard, it all comes out fresh, pieced together and transmitted in a way that no one but
Bailey Rae -- a remarkable and flexible artist with some very real life experiences -- can approximate. ~ Andy Kellman
![Off the Wall [CD/DVD]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0888751244726_p0_v3_s90x140.jpg "Off the Wall [CD/DVD]")
