• Record Label: Capitol
  • Release Date: Jun 20, 2006
Metascore
69

Generally favorable reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 13
  2. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. Occasionally evokes the feeling of a '70s Bill Withers classic, while bringing inflections of Zero 7 and Alicia Keys to her grooves as well.
  2. Q Magazine
    80
    There's nothing fancy about her songs... but there is magic in the way she sings them. [Apr 2006, p.112]
  3. A debut recording as fine as this one deserves immediate attention.
  4. Entertainment Weekly
    75
    It's extremely agreeable, a bit predictable, and occasionally irresistible. [23 Jun 2006, p.70]
  5. Los Angeles Times
    75
    The tunes... are anything but heavy, blending pop-R&B, jazz, trip-hop and vintage disco flavors into sophisticated, sexy numbers with the lush tranquillity of Sade and the earthy polish of '70s-era Stevie Wonder. [4 Jun 2006]
  6. Her self-titled debut sounds a wee rushed and sometimes meanders its way into background music territory, but this comfortable effort is pleasingly homegrown, warm, and poignant in parts.
  7. Blender
    70
    Rae's music sticks in your mind like a pleasant scent you wish would linger. [Jun 2006, p.143]
  8. New Musical Express (NME)
    60
    If you don't mind the odd reflective moment, the odd luscious production value, then this has plenty to offer. [25 Mar 2006, p.37]
  9. Spin
    60
    When things are going right, she reverentially nods to the sumptuous aesthetic that defined Marvin Gaye's What's Going On; when her form slips, it's like Dido gone "groovy." [Jul 2006, p.82]
  10. Rae's amiable competence marks her as a talent worth keeping tabs on, but the strength of Corinne Bailey Rae is fleeting, a triumph of mood over tangible substance.
  11. Corinne Bailey Rae is as pop-wise as it is overly gentle and one to grow on.
  12. Weighed down with bland lyrics and blander arrangements, it meanders off into chick-rock clichés and lazy easy-listening melodies.
  13. After such a promising start, Bailey Rae and her stable of producers simply lose momentum.
User Score
8.4

Universal acclaim- based on 37 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 37
  2. Negative: 3 out of 37
  1. Chris
    Apr 3, 2007
    9
    Nice to see someone making music with some care to it lasting. I'd like to see her improve the lyrics-- there are flashes of excellence, Nice to see someone making music with some care to it lasting. I'd like to see her improve the lyrics-- there are flashes of excellence, but then retreats to cliches. Still, in a world full or bragging rap abd screaming rock, this album is refreshing. Full Review »
  2. CDub
    Mar 14, 2007
    5
    The lushness and quirky uniqueness of Raes voice caught my attention upon my very first listen of "Put your record on". Unfortunately the The lushness and quirky uniqueness of Raes voice caught my attention upon my very first listen of "Put your record on". Unfortunately the goosebumps which populated my arms after this one listen, as they do every time I think I've made a new musical "discovery" for myself, were nowhere to be seen upon my initial listening of Corinne's full length. While it's few high points deliver some memorable (and infectiously hum-able) melodies, the majority of this album seems tailor made for the docile and inattentive ears of Gap shoppers and bank queuers everwhere. It is at no point is it offensive or irritating, nor is it rousing, inspiring, engaging or challenging. Full Review »
  3. jennifer
    Jan 25, 2007
    7
    This album is a beautiful wind down at the end of the day type CD. Corinne