Corinne Bailey Rae

Corinne Bailey Rae is a singer-songwriter, originally from Leeds, who reached a large audience in the mid '00s with her soul-tinged, gentle R&B mixed in with folksy pop, misty voice, and a couple of major hits on the radio. Although she has not necessarily been a prolific artist, she has been consistent in the quality of her work, which holds up remarkably well years later with her use of stripped down and unflashy arrangements, direct songwriting, and her laid back, low-key delivery. She pursues a well-restrained sound that shies away from big musical statements. Her songs maintain a strong romantic touch, as she alternates between upbeat and melancholic tones. All that said, she more or less broke out of her mold in 2023's Black Rainbows where she took on a much starker and occasionally harsher sound that delved into hard electronic and rock music as well as more restless forms of jazz and R&B.