The Sea [Transparent Blue LP]

by Corinne Bailey Rae

Overview

After selling four million copies of her debut album, an effort filled with her precious brand of neo-soul and the uplifting hit "Put Your Records On," singer/songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae lost her husband Jason Rae suddenly and took two years off to grieve and recover before returning with her second effort, The Sea. On the album's opener "Are You Here," lyrics like "Wait till you see those eyes" and "He'll kiss you make you feel sixteen" suggest she's just fallen in love, but the fascinating idea behind The Sea is that it never explains itself, even if there's a new richness in Rae's soft and oh-so-tender voice that suggests something has changed deep inside. As such, the song's "What's it even mean?" question could be the beginning of a love affair or a tragedy, but the following "I'd Do It All Again" is even trickier, as post-argument lyrics written before her husband's tragic loss ("You're searching for something I know/Won't make you happy") take on new meaning . Further confusing the matter, throughout the album the singer speaks of her love in the present tense. Then there are the numbers that come from left field, like the slithering, funky "The Blackest Lilly," which struts like a sexy Rolling Stones song while pulling inspiration from Philadelphia's neo-soul party, the Black Lily. It comes to a moving end with the title track, a masterful piece that looks back through generations of loss and the majestic ocean of time that "Breaks everything/Crushes everything/Cleans everything." If it all seems incongruous, so is the recovery process Rae must face, and the album's cycle of mourning, returning to work, aching, fondly reminiscing, yearning, and then back again won't be unfamiliar to anyone who has lost someone close. It doesn't offer any answers, but The Sea is a testament to Rae's artistic growth as it provides comfort to those left on the wistful side of eternal love, and insight to those who are not. ~ David Jeffries

Product Details

Release Date:	04/23/2022
Label:	Capitol
UPC:	0602438873135
Rank:	52455

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Corinne Bailey Rae   Primary Artist,Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Autoharp,Percussion,Stylophone,Glockenspiel,Spanish Guitar,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Nick Burns   Cello
Bob Birch   Piano
Adam Blackstone   Bass
James Poyser   Organ
Sam Bell   Congas
Mike Feingold   Guitar (Electric)
Luke Flowers   Drums
Questlove   Tambourine
Kenny Higgins   Bass,Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Semay Wu   Cello
Paul Farr   Guitar (Electric)
John Burr   Harmonica
Gareth Lockrane   Flute
Myke Wilson   Drums
Nia Bevan   Violin
Liam Duffy   French Horn
John Hart   Trombone (Bass)
Jane Coyle   Viola
Barnaby Dickinson   Trombone
Julie Edwards   Violin
Steve Guy   Horn Engineer
David Pearson   Guitar
Adam Robinson   Violin
Catherine Barnecutt   Viola
Melanie Purves   Conductor,Horn Conductor
Seb Roachford   Drums
Garrath Beckwith   Trombone (Bass)
Leeds University Liturgical Choir   Choir/Chorus
Helen Tongue   Violin
Freddie August   Violin
Ben Cotterell   Horn Engineer
Malcolm Straehan   Flugelhorn
Lucie Barnicoat   Violin
Ian Bone   Violin
James Pattinson   Violin
Levin Jones   Violin
Kate Pelling   Violin
Eryl Roberts   Drums
Catherine Barneeutt   Viola
John McCalhun   Guitar
Jennifer Birch   Choir/Chorus,Vocals (Background)
David Coyle   Horn Engineer
Steve "Billy" Buckley   Bass,Guitar
Ruth Bingham   Cello
Raymond Lester   Viola
Sally Bell   Viola
Lara Rose   Vocals (Background)
Simon Denton   Cello,Soloist
David Tollington   French Horn
Melinda Gourlay   Cello

Technical Credits

Bob Marley   Composer
James Poyser   Producer
Jimi Hendrix   Composer
Questlove   Producer
Steve Chrisanthou   Engineer,Producer
Ray Staff   Mastering
Corinne Bailey Rae   Composer,Producer,Choir Arrangement
Tom Elmhirst   Mixing
Nia Bevan   Leader,String Contractor
Carol Jarvis   Orchestration,String Contractor
Steve Brown   Composer
Andy Thornton   Assistant Engineer
Steve Guy   String Engineer
Alex Cowper   Design,Artwork
Matthew Kettle   Engineer
Xavier Stephenson   Mixing Assistant
Melanie Purves   Orchestration,String Contractor
Freddie August   Leader
Ben Cotterell   String Engineer
Tierney Gearon   Photography
Jennifer Birch   Composer
David Coyle   String Engineer
Philip Rae   Composer