“Black Rainbows” by Corinne Bailey Rae

An insane left-turn of a record. 🤯

Hello! 😊👋

Welcome to a new edition of the Daily Music Picks newsletter!

Today’s music pick is the latest from Corrine Bailey Rae, combining elements of jazz, punk, noise rock, and a whole lot more.

Genre: Alternative, Experimental

Label: Thirty Tigers

Release Date: September 15, 2023

Vibe: 😮

I’m not entirely sure what I expected going into Black Rainbows, but even vague recollections of her easy-listening days did nothing to prepare me for where she goes on this LP. Seamlessly blending 90s-sounding noise-rock and punk sounds with calm, controlled whispers of jazz and R&B, this project is equal parts gusty and assured. Co-producing with her husband, Steve Brown, her interest in experimentation leads the way, often leading to loud, raw expressions of emotion. Thematically, she keeps returning to the idea of tenacious survival, refusing to succumb to internal and external hostile forces. It’s an unmissable nod to the long-tail effects of the COVID pandemic, but it’s also a call to arms against social injustices ranging from racial discrimination (”Erasure”), untenable beauty standards for women (the outstanding “He Will Follow You With His Eyes”), and the schizophrenic nature of triumphing over one’s demons (”Put It Down”). In lesser hands, those tonal shifts would give most listeners whiplash. Bailey Rae ensures those leaps are never less than emotionally earned.

Anyone searching for her music's more recognizable softer side will find a couple of moments to latch onto here, although even those can be slyly subversive. Take the closing track, “Before the Throne of the Invisible God,” a song you can picture soundtracking a David Lynch tracking shot through a smoky jazz nightclub packed of ner-do-wells and hangers-on. Her vocals float effortlessly in the soundstage’s spatial cracks, simultaneously vulnerable and quietly defiant. Chimes and woodwinds echo ominously in the background, conjuring up images of Kate Bush or Lana Del Rey attempting a Bond theme song. Also arresting are her brief brushes with sweaty punk rock, including the title track and the “New York Transit Queen.” Those cuts add another dimension to Bailey Rae’s artistic persona, one that I would be delighted to hear stretch its legs on a future LP.

Well-known jazz singer releases Veruca Salt/Riot Grrrl cover album? I’m here for it.

👉 Don’t forget to click the album image to stream the album on your favorite platform 👈