Corinne Bailey Rae
Browse through our archives from past through present and you'll recognize that we have a soft spot for British Soul music. With its ever-expanding array of artists, the diverse genre never fails to disappoint. In recent years, new artists like Sam Smith, Adele, Kwabs, Daley, MNEK and Lianne La Havas have made major contributions to our music libraries. But before any of those incredible artists made it big, Corinne Bailey Rae won us over with her eponymous 2006 debut (and led to our affinity for petite guitar-wielding pixies like La Havas, Jennah Bell, Purple Ferdinand and others).
Following the tragic death of her husband, Bailey Rae made a strong return with 2010's The Sea and quickly delivered a follow-up with The Love EP in 2011. But aside from a scattering of performances, contributions to compilation projects and her admirable philanthropic efforts, the GRAMMY winner has been pretty quiet. Being moved from Capitol Records to Virgin Records (thanks to the Universal Music buyout) has surely played a part in the delay. Although we support giving an artist time and space to work through their creative process, we miss her and we want her back. Thankfully, it seems she misses us, too. She's hinted (more than once) via social media that she's been in the studio working on the new album. And what better time than 2016 to bless the masses with some new material and simultaneously celebrate a decade in the biz. -- B. Cakes
