One thing that struck me when watching the Brits is how much of this awful pop-pap-r&b gunk we are spoon fed is not so much sung as shouted by whatever latest overdressed, overhyped bint some major has so delightfully delivered unto us. And then you putThe Sea into your CD player, hit play, and you realise there is hope, there is another way… that people are still prepared to use delicacy in a vocal, atmosphere to convey mood and feeling, and are not happy just to belch such offerings forth.
The Sea is Rae‘s sophomore album, the follow up to her eponymous debut. It is also her first output since the tragic death of her husband Jason Rae, and it’s impossible not to feel that pain underpinned in the lyrical flow of the songs, indeed as mellifluous as the movement of the sea itself. This album is subtle; perhaps more of a slow burner than the immediacy of the first album that propelled Bailey Rae centre stage. And it touches many points… soul, funk…a kind of indie-jazzy cross-over that combines the organic interplay of real musicianship with Rae’s smokey-smooth vocals.
The album starts to really warm up towards the mid-point, with tracks like The Blackest Lily and Closer almost magically moving around the room. The songs have the confidence not to overstate themselves… there’s no excess salt heaped upon these deep grooves, and the album is also concerned with mood and atmosphere to engender feelings in the listener. Perhaps some of that feeling came through from the fact the album was recorded mainly in our own fair city. One can only hope…
Put The Sea on your stereo when everyone else is out, turn out the lights, close your eyes, and let yourself be castaway….
Release Date 01/02/2010 (EMI)
Simon is a writer, broadcaster and countercultural investigator. Over the last 15 years he has written for everyone from The Guardian to Loaded magazine, presented television for Rapture TV and hosted radio programs for the likes of Galaxy. He has also found time to earn a Masters Degree in Novel Writing and write three books (a collection of journalism, a guidebook to Ibiza and one on financial planning for young people – the most varied publishing career it’s possible to have) and establish and run a PR company, Pad Communications, looking after a range of leisure and lifestyle clients.He currently splits his time between researching his PhD at Leeds University, looking into various countercultural movements; consulting freelance for PR clients; writing for the likes of Marie Claire in Australia, The Big Issue and the Manchester Evening News, where he reviews concerts, theatre and is their Pub & Bar Editor. He is also broadcaster, appearing regularly on Tony Livesey’s late night 5Live show for the BBC, and also for BBC Radio Manchester Gourmet Night food and drink show.Simon’s main focus has been music and travel. His career has included editing Ministry of Sound’s magazine in Ibiza for two summers and also writing two long-running columns for DJmagazine – ”Around The World in 80 Clubs” (which took him everywhere from Beijing to Brazil, Moscow to Marrakech) and “Dispatches From The Wrong Side”. A collection of the latter was published in the UK and US as the book Discombobulated, including tales as varied as gatecrashing Kylie Minogue’s birthday party, getting deported from Russia, having a gun held to his head by celebrity gangster Dave Courtney and going raving in Ibiza with Judith Chalmers. He has recently written for the likes of Red magazine, Hotline, Clash, Tilllate, Shortlist and the Manchester Evening News. Pad Communications has recently consulted for clients as varied as Manchester nightclubs and New Zealand toy companies.On a personal note, Simon is a Londoner who left the capital at the age of 18 and never looked back. He sees himself as a citizen of the global dancefloor having lived in Sydney, Los Angeles, Ibiza and Amsterdam. However his life is now rather more sedentary. After all his adventures he bumped into and subsequently married his highschool sweetheart from their North London Grammar. They now live in Stockport with their four children and four chickens, trying to live the good life. Simon recently turned 40 and is steadfastly refusing to have a midlife crisis – as in, growing a ponytail and buying a shiny red sports car.OK, maybe he’ll buy the sports car…
