Corinne Bailey Rae is an amazing storyteller.
She used this talent with high efficacy by introducing practically every song during her February 15th early show performance at the world-renowned Blue Note Jazz Club in NYC. There were moments where her stories equally elicited a deep contemplation or had the audience frolicking with laughter.
However, such an unusual trait for a Grammy Award winning soul-pop artist was simply the bonus. The main payday is that Bailey Rae’s latest album, “Black Rainbows” marks her triumphant return with her most versatile work to date.
“Black Rainbows:” A Work Seven Years in the Making
“Black Rainbows” is Bailey Rae’s first album in seven years, and it is a riveting display of raw power and musical versatility, with original new songs mimicking the rawness of post-punk, the strangeness of futuristic psychedelic jazz, and the comfort of old school sweet soul.
As I watched her perform, immediately my senses were viscerally bombarded with a wide variety of sounds, from the buzzing of post-punk driving guitars on the song “New York Transit Queen,” to the pounding off-beat rhythms of “Erasure,” the futuristic whistles of “Earthlings,” and the whimsical musings of “He Will Follow You With His Eyes.”
The songs on this album are raw and sexy, as well as whimsical and deeply contemplative. Several songs are over five minutes and “Put It Down” is over eight minutes long.
All of Bailey Rae’s original compositions from this musical project were inspired by the objects and works by contemporary artist Theaster Gates at the Stoney Island Arts Bank in the South Side of Chicago. This incredible man bought a destitute bank for several dollars from the government and saved it from demolition, instead transforming this space into a Black history repository by raising several million dollars selling his art.
“Engaging with these archives and his practice has changed how I think of myself as an artist and what the possibilities of my work can be. I knew when I walked through these doors, my life had changed forever,” recounted Bailey Rae.
The Remarkable Story that Inspired “Peach Velvet Sky”
My favorite story told by Bailey Rae was one of a child slave named Harriet Jacobs. Many years later she became an African-American abolitionist who founded two schools, which inspired the song “Peach Velvet Sky.”
In the early 19th Century, she was sexually harassed by her enslaver in North Carolina. When he threatened to sell her children if she did not submit to his desire, she escaped by hiding in a tiny crawl space under the roof of her grandmother’s house, so low she could not stand up in it.
Remarkably, Harriet stayed in this tiny space for seven grueling years. She was able to bore a small hole through the wooden house, just enough for sunlight to come through and to view her children outside. She finally managed to escape to the free North where she was reunited with her children. This amazing story about Harriet Jacobs was based on objects Bailey Ray discovered at the Stoney Island Arts Bank.
“Peach Velvet Sky” is my favorite song on the album. It’s a melancholy jazz ballad comprised of piano and voice only, with long pauses and unexpected dissonant bursts. The melody is both beautifully sublime and haunting.
A New Album, Yet a Return to the Old
In many ways, writing these songs inspired by archived historical objects and works allowed Bailey Rae to return to musical genres from earlier in her career. What many casual fans don’t know is that she began her career as a singer/ guitarist in an all-female indie post-punk band called Helen in 1998. They played many gigs around Leeds in the U.K.
Although the band was courted by U.S. heavy-metal label Roadrunner Records, they were never signed. When the band broke up, it would take three years for Bailey Rae to regain her footing and embark on the successful soul-pop musical career she is most known for.
“Black Rainbows” marks a return to Bailey Rae’s post-punk musical roots with the songs “New York Transit Queen” and “Erasure.” This album may not be as accessible to everyone compared to her past work. There are heavy esoteric and avant-garde elements. However, I really respect Bailey Rae for pushing the boundaries of her art.
She took tremendous risks composing this new material and releasing it to the world. She clearly wrote these songs to pay homage and educate others of the deeply buried and long-forgotten past people and vestiges throughout Black history.
I would highly recommend seeing Corinne Bailey Rae perform in concert with her terrific band on the “Black Rainbows” tour live. She is a true artist, who refuses to fall into the trap of complacency.
However, if you still have a craving for classic Corinne Bailey Rae, listen to her past albums, “Corinne Bailey Rae” (2006), “The Sea” (2010), “The Heart Speaks in Whispers” (2016), and her featured work on Herbie Hancock’s “River: The Joni Letters” (2008).
For “Black Rainbow” Tour dates, go to corinnebaileyrae.com
Link to the Village View article: https://villageview.nyc/2024/03/03/corinne-bailey-rae-grammy-award-winning-artist-marks-her-triumphant-return-with-black-rainbows-tour-at-the-blue-note/
Kaju Roberto is an accomplished musician, singer/ songwriter, journalist, and an award-winning producer. He is the artist Rad Jet on Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/artist/32si7c4nk210HPuqbXvhJg