Corinne Bailey Rae: 'The Sea'

Back in 2007, a then up-and-coming rapper named Lady Sovereign took some time out from collaborating with the Ordinary Boys to take a thwack at fellow musician Corinne Bailey Rae. "She should be called Corinne 'Boring' Rae," Sov quipped. A cheap shot, sure, but the Lady certainly wasn't the first to lay into Rae for the supposedly soporific coffee-shop jazz vibe of her music. Her first record may have shifted four million copies, but despite its pleasantly chilled sound and Rae's admittedly fine voice, it was a struggle to find much to remember melodically on the album - even on the perkier tracks. Bailey Rae may have seemed worthier than a contemporary like Lily Allen, but it was clear that the latter was more fun.

A lot has happened since then. Ms. Allen went supernova with her second album, while Sov imploded in the States and was last seen skulking around the Celebrity Big Brother house. For Rae though, the changes have been even more elemental, with her husband Jason tragically passing away two years ago after taking an accidental overdose of methadone and alcohol. It's hard not to view The Sea through the prism of the saddest type of break-up, but even ignoring the painful circumstances of its birth, this is a record which shows real growth for Rae as a songwriter and musician.

Unlike her debut, it features a clutch of wonderful moments where the strength of the tunes match the quality of the smooth - but not too slick - sound of the recordings. Opening track 'Are You Here' is as beautifully understated as it is immaculately constructed. A heartwrenching lament about a "real live wire" of a guy, it uses Rae's voice to tease and tug, rather than just as very pretty aural wallpaper. Meanwhile, the downbeat 'Love's On Its Way' and organ-led 'I Would Like To Call It Beauty' merge similarly stripped-back arrangements with enough verve to grab your attention in a way that Rae never quite managed before.

Sadly, there are still moments where the smooth production is seemingly used to cover up underwritten tunes. Despite some occasionally neat turns-of-phrase, the title track, single 'I'd Do It All Again' and 'Diving For Hearts' meander rather than soar, while 'Feels Like The First Time' is a fine bit of piano and bass in want of a better song. The best moments here are when Rae lets her hair down. The deep soul of 'Closer', the chugging Kooksy stomp of 'Paris Nights/New York Mornings' and rock guitar break in 'The Blackest Lily' are all good examples, but best of all is 'Paper Dolls'. "All my life, all my life, it's not right / Nobody told me I could do something/ Nobody told me I could be something," she sings on the biggest and best chorus she's ever stuck on plastic. All of which adds up to an artistic leap that should win over at least some of those critics from first time around.