★★★☆
Corinne Bailey Rae’s new album – her first in six years – opens with a false start.
‘The Skies Will Break’ melds harp flourishes with noncommittal dance production, and its single-line chorus against this backing makes for an unconvincing result.
Following this opener, however, The Heart Speaks In Whispers improves dramatically. Bailey Rae glides between genres without self-consciousness, from lush ballads to more upbeat, sensual tracks. The songs are, for the most part, fairly lengthy, and this allows them to unfold gradually. Repeated listens yield an improved appreciation of the parts of this album, as well as its total sum.
Bailey Rae’s indulgence in a variety of styles is somewhat reminiscent of the eclecticism heard on Kimbra’s The Golden Echo,though The Heart Speaks In Whispers generally eschews futuristic production styles in favour of more familiar soundscapes and instrumentation. A key uniting factor across the album is Rae’s strong (but never overly showy) vocal performance. The singer’s self-assuredness results in a potent ability to emote, which only rarely crosses into the saccharine.
Ultimately, the pleasure of Bailey Rae’s third album lies in her ability to confidently and cohesively indulge in a variety of genres and moods.
