Rae’s songs explore the power and seasons of romantic love, from the disruptive joy of initial attraction (the jaunty “Trouble Sleeping”) and anxious longing for our feelings to be returned (“Breathless”), to life-altering devotion (“Call Me When You Get This”) and working through conflicts (“Like a Star”). “Till It Happens to You” reminds listeners that love must grow and mature or all that will remain are memories of happier times. On “Butterfly” Rae relates her mother’s legacy of love and support. With the carefree, breezy feel of a spring day, “Put Your Records On” tells someone to relax and find joy in simple pleasures. Similarly, “I’d Like To” describes the little things that make life worthwhile. Patience is a virtue on “Seasons Change,” which notes that events happen for a reason and hardship won’t last forever (“Peace must be nurtured, and all the money in the world can’t buy you nothing”).
Minor. One line fondly recalls impromptu gatherings with “rum and punch.”
The Grammy nominee’s cooing vocal style has a bluesy sweetness about it. Sweeter still is the fact that Corinne Bailey Rae avoids moral pitfalls, making this smooth project easy to warm up to.
After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.
