In Focus: Corrine Bailey Rae

Two of my most favorite music videos include The Corrs’ What Can I Do and Nelly Furtado’s I’m Like a Bird. There’s just something cozy and warm with the videos, greenery and sunshine are among them. But when I saw Corrine Bailey Rae’s Put Your Records On video for the first time, the two just got beaten. The video’s snug summery sunbeams, bicycle rides and frou frous is just so charming, together with the delightful song itself. Corinne Bailey Rae’s velvety vocals and jazzy ways got me fascinated. Who’s this girl? I’ve got to know her.

Corrine Bailey, married to saxophonist Jason Rae from whom became Corrine Bailey Rae, is one of music’s great finds. She’s went through a musical expedition of her own, from singing in church at a young age, to forming her own band Helen, to singing in jazz clubs, to finally finding her soulful path in jazz and soul and at last get the world notice her talent. Since then, beginning with the break she received when she collaborated with Artful Dodger, a single and an album has been released, and plenty awards has been bagged and nominations received at the Academy Award of music, the Grammy’s.

Much of a fan of Björk and Massive Attack I am, I learned Corrine has both artists as her influences, as apparent in her chillout, soulful debut album. She even sang a cover of Björk’s “Venus as a Boy.”

Corrine is also a humanitarian at heart. She has shared a part in campaigns such as recording John Lennon’s “I’m Losing You” for the album “Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur.” She was a part of the UK leg of Live Earth and is collaborating a concert with Together for Peace, Leeds Women’s Aid (LWA), Sahara Black Women’s Refuge, STOP, The Truth Isn’t Sexy campaign and Joanna entitled ‘Peace Begins At Home,’ an event to promote awareness of issues devastating the lives of women, including domestic violence and sex trafficking on November 20, 2007.

By the way, Wikimusicguide has Corrine Bailey Rae’s album up for grabs! See the Win This CD section and come join. (: