Welcome to my track-by-track Heart Speaks in Whispers review. This is Corinne Bailey Rae’s third studio album and was released on May 13, 2016, by Virgin EMI Records, six years after her previous hit record, “The Sea.” In the United States, the album debuted at number 31 on the Billboard 200, selling 14,000 copies in its first week. “The Heart Speaks in Whispers” has a new feeling about it, departing from the heavy emotions evoked in “The Sea,” following the passing of her then-husband Jason Rae.
That is to say, it is more hopeful and uplifting, drawing from the experiences of other artists such as Esperanza Spalding, Moses Sumney, J Davey, Flying Lotus, and Kamasi Washington, to name a few. This is, in my opinion, some of her finest work, which I sort of liken to a butterfly leaving behind its shell. Corrine said the title of the album came about “really naturally”:
Quoting Corinne:
The title came about really naturally[…] it’s a line from one of the songs. The song is called “The Skies Will Break” […] It’s all about transformation, it’s all about finding hope again (529) The Innerview(Ep.230) Sensual singer-songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae _ Full Episode – YouTube
On choosing her album title, Bailey Rae told The Sun: “It’s about listening to my inner voice. The lyrics just come without me thinking about them or writing them down. Instinct is really powerful and a really good way of working out what is right for you. That is really what the record is about.” From The Skies Will Break by Corinne Bailey Rae – Songfacts
I really wanted to roam, and explore with the record, and not to try to think about, ‘How can I make the songs the most, sort of, digestible.’ I just wanted to be free, and to see what came out […] really wanted them to have their own space and to live. I wanted the lyrics especially to have space. From Corinne Bailey Rae on The Heart Speaks in Whispers (shawnconnerblog.com)
Track-by-Track Review:
I encourage the reader to play the CD while reading my track-by-track reviews. Corinne Bailey Rae recorded a six-episode Podcast covering her journey to creating this CD in 2016. It’s available on iTunes and popular RSS feeds.
On this record I really felt like it’s been important for me to just listen to my inner voice and write the music I want to write. – Podcast Episode 1
While preparing this review, I discovered there was an exclusive Target edition release that had an additional two live bonus tracks. They are the live renditions of track 2 and track 5. Since I do not own that particular CD, I will not be reviewing those two additional tracks.
Here is my track preference list for “The Heart Speaks in Whispers”. I enjoy what I call the “sing-along factor” as I believe it is important when selecting the track preferences.
Rank |
Track # |
Title |
1. |
10 |
|
2. |
03 |
|
3. |
06 |
|
4. |
04 |
|
5. |
01 |
|
6. |
05 |
|
7. |
15 |
|
8. |
16 |
|
9. |
07 |
|
10. |
08 |
|
11. |
02 |
|
12. |
13 |
|
13. |
12 |
|
14. |
09 |
|
15. |
14 |
|
16. |
11 |
Track 1
| The Skies Will Break | Corinne Bailey Rae, Steve Brown | 04:53 |
This song is about how things will get better with time. “The skies will break for you,” and better times are ahead. Your “heart speaks in whispers” implies that your heart is telling you things will get better and that you just need to listen. It’s a quiet voice. It is set in a remote location with a Mars-like environment and colors, and the sun is nearly blotted out from the start to the mid-point of the song. In the last verse, the sun suddenly breaks out.
The song was inspired by a dream Corinne had about someone who had a false start in a race and “they were filled with sort of hopelessness and sorrow and shame”.
Her lyrics:
“Bright lights
Streaming, we’re golden!
Sunlight, sunlight
Revealing, we’re golden!
And you will know
And you will know it”
This says you will know that feeling is right when it hits. She explains it further, here:
that song […] was a way of my subconcience I guess kind of encouraging me and helping me to carry on and helping me to believe that things could be different and that change was possible and that transformation was inevitable Podcast Episode 4
In an interview with NPR, Corinne Bailey Rae said this song is about “transformation, it’s about hope, it’s about a point in your life where you feel that things can’t change and things are hopeless. The message of the song is that things will get better, things will change, the waves will part for you, and when it happens you’ll know it”. From Corinne Bailey Rae – The Skies Will Break Lyrics | Genius Lyrics
I really love the idea of the heart speaking to us, being an organ that informs to us, that’s constantly speaking to us but in order to hear it we have to quiet things down around us. From Corinne Bailey Rae on The Heart Speaks in Whispers (shawnconnerblog.com)
This song goes along one of the themes of the album, “Dreams”:
I really believe that dreams are a rich source of inner wisdom our vault of creativity and a way that our heart speaks to us – Podcast Episode 4
I wanted to point out the amazing lyrics:
“The skies will break for you, my friend
The waves will part, the seas will rend”
I had never heard of the word “rend” and thought it was a typo and had to look it up (rend: “to separate into parts with force or violence”). It works perfectly here. I love how the song builds to a climactic finish. It’s a beautiful song to start the album. It’s fun to sing along with, and as one YouTuber mentioned in the comments of the video, “It’s authentic, pure, and powerful.”
Official Music Video:
(497) Corinne Bailey Rae – The Skies Will Break (Official Video) – YouTube
This song is part of her set list on the NPR Tiny Desk Concert (Song 3):
(509) Corinne Bailey Rae: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert – YouTube
Track 2
| Hey, I Won’t Break Your Heart | Corinne Bailey Rae | 04:48 |
This is a really slow song and a bit of a downer. The lyrics indicate she is waiting for someone to come back to her; right now, all she has are her memories. She is waiting for that second chance. This time, however, she won’t make the same mistakes.
“This time around I won’t cling to those paper crowns
I won’t tear you down
This time I’ll listen like it’s love’s first secret”
She goes on to describe this feeling on her Heart Speaks in Whispers Podcast:
the idea that everything you’ve been through is sort of on you, it’s on your person it’s inescapable – Podcast ep 2
The backing vocals (John McCallum and LaDonna Harley-Peters) on the main chorus complement the song nicely.
Again, it’s a bit sad, but if you simply key into the slow moments and absorb the content of the lyrics, you will find enjoyment in this amazing song. I enjoy singing along to the chorus.
Official Music Video:
Corinne Bailey Rae – Hey, I Won’t Break Your Heart (Official Video) – YouTube
This song is part of her set list on the NPR Tiny Desk Concert (Song 2):
(509) Corinne Bailey Rae: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert – YouTube
Track 3
| Been to the Moon | Bailey Rae, Brown, Amber Strother, Paris Strother | 04:04 |
This is one of my favorite songs on the album. It’s just so upbeat. It starts out with a sort of rocket-ship sound. The official video has imagery of her in a space suit wearing a helmet after having just crashed her ship on some faraway planet, crawling on her hands and knees in the sand. The ship looks like something straight out of Battlestar Galactica. But then the music starts with some nice horns, a recurring theme throughout the song. It is much deeper than you may realize.
Bailey Rae explained to Ebony: “When you’re first getting together with someone, there’s the dance of how open you are and how much you show you’re into it or not. I like the playful aspect of that, definitely on something like, ‘Been to the Moon.’
I like the idea of how I really put myself out there for you and now it’s your turn; how are you going to show me you’re serious.
That closely relates to me, a person who’s serious about relationships. The song’s really about being honest with yourself about what it is you want and asking are you in or not.” Been To The Moon by Corinne Bailey Rae – Songfacts
I love the horns that play at the end of the song. At first, I didn’t appreciate them, but after having heard and understood the song, I feel they are a great way to conclude this beautiful song.
Official Music Video: (My favorite video on the CD)
(503) Corinne Bailey Rae – Been To The Moon (Official Video) – YouTube
Track 4
| Tell Me | Corinne Bailey Rae, Steve Brown, Chrisanthou P. Strother | 04:08 |
It starts out with her beautiful humming. The lyrics encourage people to go out and try to make a difference, make mistakes, put yourself out there, and figure things out.
“Make mistakes
Get it right
There’ll be heartbreaks
And blue skies
Feel it all
Walk tall”
I especially like the lines, “Feel it all, walk tall.” This song goes along with one of the deep themes in the album, “Dreams,” having them and exploring their meaning. Yet another song on the album that is empowering and makes you feel amazing.
Live performance of “Tell Me”:
(509) Corinne Bailey Rae performing “Tell Me” Live on KCRW – YouTube
Track 5
| Stop Where You Are | Corinne Bailey, Steve Chrisanthou | 04:10 |
Its meaning is fairly simple. Be aware of where you are in the moment. If you meet a celebrity, look them in the eyes. Don’t worry about trying to record the moment with your phone; live for that moment. The main chorus has a rock-and-roll feel to it. The video is shot around mostly abandoned urban buildings, with a few shots of random people doing random things.
I really felt with that song it was about being present and being where you are. There are so many things that pull us out of the moment. (shawnconnerblog.com)
The lyrics below expound:
“Life’s shining around you
Don’t miss a day
If you’re caught up in the chase
You hold your happiness away from you”
If you aren’t present at the moment, you are pushing happiness away. Corinne says the song:
Is about being in the moment. It’s about the ways in which we sometimes we hold our happiness away from ourselves. – Podcast Episode 6
Again, she says we sometimes push our happiness away, saying I’ll be happy when this happens or when that happens, etc.
Adding:
I love that image of the song where it says ‘Light a fire where you are.’ That to me is about ritualizing the moment and not forgetting to celebrate the moment. it’s really easy for us to think, ‘I’ll be happy when this happens or that happens, when I lose this weight, when I get this great job, or when I go on holiday.’ We’re holding our own happiness away from us by putting these kinds of provisos on being here now.
What if we just stop where we are to say, ‘Here, in this moment, with all its imperfections and all this drama, we can just be aware that we’re here and of the people we’re sharing with it.’ I really felt like that song wrote itself.(shawnconnerblog.com)
She again explains:
I really felt with that song it was about being present and being where you are. There are so many things that pull us out of the moment. Corinne Bailey Rae on The Heart Speaks in Whispers (shawnconnerblog.com)
The following lyrics ring so true:
“This is the world we’ve made There is no better place, it’s true Light a fire where you are”
The message is to quit trying to wait for something to happen, “light a fire where you are”, and make it happen.
The song has a connection to her losing her husband:
You know, losing my husband in 2008, that was a completely unexpected thing. And that process of grief and mourning that has taught me a lot about life, and how we never know how long we have. I think that every day should be savored, and so a lot of “Stop Where You Are” comes out of that idea that life is really precious, the people around us are precious, and every single moment is worth celebrating. On Corinne Bailey Rae’s New Album, A Focus On Renewal : NPR
Official Music video:
(509) Corinne Bailey Rae – Stop Where You Are (Official Video) – YouTube
Track 6
| Green Aphrodisiac | Corinne Bailey Rae, P. Strother,A. Strother | 05:51 |
To me, this is a song about falling in love, experiencing and exploring the sensual feelings you might feel in great detail, and how it parallels nature with sprouting and flowing greenery. In the official music video:
Corinne is shown sandwiched between two men as they slowly caress her from front to back.
The song ‘Green Aphrodisiac’ is about intoxicating spring days and nights, I wrote it with Paris and Amber Strother from KING. It is about sensuality and connecting with the body and how we are part of nature, so I was so excited to make a video where I was working with two incredible dancers to create a piece where we were moving like one organism, one flower turning to the sun.
The choreographer gave us some beautiful movement and I really got lost in it. It is my first experiment with contemporary dance after dancing ballet for years as a child, but certainly not my last. Bailey Rae’s ‘Green Aphrodisiac’ – uDiscover (udiscovermusic.com)
She was totally digging it and lamented on her Heart Speaks in Whispers Podcast, that “Green Aphrodisiac” is:
about the beauty of spring and the way that everything you’ve planted will grow, all it needs is time […] It talks about the feeling of being out in a luscious moist environment with the blossom falling from the trees.
I wrote the lyrics to this song in my garden with my shoes off just with my feet in the soil being able to feel the blades of grass and being able to hear the birds. It just became this really sort of sensual nature song that reflected the transformation that I guess had happened in my own life. Podcast Episode 1
As much as I enjoy it, it’s not really a song that I would sing along to. I mostly just listen to it and try to get lost in her “wonderland.”
Official Music video:
(509) Corinne Bailey Rae – Green Aphrodisiac (Official Video) – YouTube
Track 7
| Horse Print Dress | Corrinne Bailey Rae, Brown, P. Strother, A. Strother, Chrisanthou | 4:03 |
This to me is about a woman who has recently fallen in love with someone, and how amazing it makes her feel, as is told by the lyrics:
“I haven’t told anybody yet
We spend our days and night
Lying by firelight
And your pretty eyes, looking at me so bright
Like I’m your one delight”
This reminds me again how much the lyrics are like poetry. Corrine describes the meaning of the song here:
sort of describes getting ready for a night out […] the idea of taken by someones love and how it made you feel like you were spinning […] the feeling of experiencing the world with your eyes and your ears open” – Podcast Episode 3
Why she chose a “horse print dress” as opposed to some other visual, I have no idea. However, it speaks to her creativity and the things she loves that she writes about and sings about.
On the video (below), as it fades away, keep watching it. I love how she’s just dancing as she walks down the sidewalk, about to run into non-suspecting people. It’s sort of ironic that she’s not wearing a horse-print dress.
Official “Visualizer” video:
(510) Corinne Bailey Rae – Horse Print Dress (Official Visualizer) – YouTube
Track 8
| Do You Ever Think of Me? | Corinne Bailey Rae, Valerie Simpson, Curtis Mayfield | 05:26 |
This is another masterfully produced song that again really emphasizes how the lyrics, when simply read, cannot in any way express the emotion and intended nuance when sung aloud by the artist. To me, this particular track means just what it says, with no real hidden meanings or metaphors.
It’s a song about someone in love wondering if her partner, separated by time and space, ever thinks of her. It goes on to lament just how much she thinks of her partner. I came across this wonderful story of how this track came into being:
Corinne Bailey Rae hooked up with Valerie Simpson to pen this song. […] The two wrote this track at Simpson’s house in New York. Bailey Rae recalled to Mojo: “I had this song, ‘Do You Ever Think Of Me?,’ that was influenced by Curtis Mayfield’s ‘The Makings Of You,’ and I played it to her. She was like, ‘Yeah, OK, leave it with me.’ I thought, She hates it!”
Bailey Rae laughed. “A month later I got an e-mail from her, entitled ‘Dibbles and dabbles – Valerie.’ She’d attached a file of her singing my song, but her version of the song, adding her own lyrics, and these amazing piano chords under where she sang, ‘Why did it have to end?’ She’d smashed it.”
“We’d had a good conversation – the song was talking about love, and why did it ever have to end? We could both relate to that (Simpson’s late songwriting partner and husband Nick Ashford died in 2011).” Do You Ever Think Of Me? by Corinne Bailey Rae – Songfacts
I enjoy this one a lot, although again, it is a bit of a downer. It does have a nice sing-along factor.
Track 9
| Caramel | Corinne Bailey Rae | 05:15 |
I am not surprised that Corinne would dedicate a song to one of her favorite flavors. It’s one of the things I love about her—the way that she sings about all the little things that excite her and brings her joy. Corrine speaks to its meaning here:
I was playing my guitar and that first line, “It isn’t love, but pain, that makes you brave” — I had no intention of singing that. I hadn’t written it down. But as I played my guitar, this phrase just came out. And I was able to look at it and think, “What does this mean?” and realize I was writing a song about transformation and renewal.
I love that image of caramel — and how, if you’ve only been tasting bitter things, exactly how sweet something like that tastes to you. And the idea of feeling that love was a possible thing — I compare it in the song to dawn, and the idea of the sun slowly coming up. I think that’s really what that transformation time has been about for me: that it’s been a very gradual process, but how, when that sun does finally come up, it appears to be so bright. When you finally taste the sweetness, it appears to be so sweet. It’s so thrown into relief because of what you’ve experienced. On Corinne Bailey Rae’s New Album, A Focus On Renewal : NPR
As she so eloquently put it, this is a song about transformation and renewal. how feelings and emotions can change over time from bitterness to sweetness or from dimly lit to shining bright.
Track 10
| Taken by Dreams | Corinne Bailey Rae, Steve Brown, John Hill | 03:55 |
This is by far my favorite track on this CD. There is just something about it. I love cranking the volume up and just being surrounded by the music. It gives me a great feeling, which is why I listed it first on my track preferences. Corrine also loves to sing it.
When I sing it I feel really empowered It says “I am like a laser beam cutting through everything, I am in my fantasy I can do anything”. That feeling that in your dreams you can do anything “because you’re dreaming it, cause you’re thinking it, cause you’re singing it, it makes it more real, makes it more like real life. – Podcast Episode 4
Again, it’s a song about empowerment—that you can do anything if you put your mind to it. I love the lyrics:
“And if you ever knew how lost I was before
You wouldn’t recognize me
Now I’m on my way
And I’m grateful I can say
I want to go
Cut me loose
Cut me loose
Let me run to the stars
They’re not so far”
Once you’ve found your way, you just want to be cut loose, with nothing holding you back, no emotion or feelings. Just go.
Track 11
| Walk On | Corinne Bailey Rae | 04:26 |
This one is not one of my favorites on the CD, and sadly, I often find myself skipping it. It sort of goes along with the message presented in “The Skies Will Break.” The idea is to keep moving when things get difficult.
“Walk on through the heavy storm
Walk on through the storm”
Corinne defined the meaning of the song on her Heart Speaks in Whispers Podcast:
The stars and the constellations know your name. I love the idea of this that we’re so known by the universe that we’re meant to be here that we have a place […]
I love how we have this interconnected relationship with nature that can’t be broken and is of immense value to us in restoring us – Podcast Episode 1
It’s a slow sort of filler song leading up to the next track, “Night”.
Track 12
| Night | Corinne Bailey Rae | 04:32 |
I really like this song. It does have sad undertones. I am struggling to glean its inspiration. The only thing that comes to mind is that it might be about her husband who had passed away.
“High up on a hill the rest submit to sleep
And we are alone […]I folded you in a prayer with words so fine
How could you refuse?
My tears, they fell like diamonds in the light”
It’s a really beautiful, slow, and somber song. I love how it’s not overproduced—just her vocals and a guitar. In her music video, a few people commented on how this song lifted their depression and anxiety. What an amazing feat!
Official “Visualizer” video:
(520) Corinne Bailey Rae – NIGHT (OFFICIAL VISUALIZER) – YouTube
Track 13
| In the Dark | Corinne Bailey Rae, James Ho | 04:49 |
This is a song about a couple who might be breaking up or are on the brink of breaking up. I really love the last verse, where it’s made clear she really does not want to let go.
“Kiss me
Hold me to your body
If you’ll miss me
Don’t say a word
‘cause I’ll fall apart
Fall apart
Touch me, fold me in your arms
If you love me
Only for a minute
I’ll fall apart
Fall apart”
So heartfelt. I do like to sing along with this song, especially the ending lyrics. It’s again a sad one.
Track 14
| Ice Cream Colours | Corinne Bailey Rae, Steve Brown | 03:15 |
This is another song, in the same vein as “Caramel,” where she has this idea of a flavor, etc., and makes a song about how she feels a certain emotion. It’s a more upbeat basic love song using her creative side, how she views things such as emotions and relates them to flavors or beautiful colors.
“Anytime I feel this rush
I’m overwhelmed
It’s chemical
I don’t know why”
In this case, it’s about someone who makes her dream in “ice cream colors”
“You make me dream in ice cream colours”
I think it’s about this rush of emotions that just overcomes her when she is in love with someone. It’s another filler song leading up to the next track, “High”.
Track 15
| High | Corinne Bailey Rae, Chuck Harmony, Claude Kelly | 05:46 |
I believe this song is about her husband, Steve Brown. After having just moved on from the loss of her husband, Jason Rae, in 2008, she has finally found a new love. She spoke about it on the BBC podcast “Living for the City.”
My last record was really joyfull .. I was surviving that loss […] it came in these tiny fragments […] Just getting to normal again […] was so joyfull […] like getting a second chance… Living for the City – Series 1 – Corinne Bailey Rae – BBC Sounds
This is a pure love song and a tribute to her new love:
“cause when I met you I was broken
Nothing left my heart was opened
You came along and brightened up my world”
She goes on to exclaim:
“My darling you
You make me do everything differently
Your love is taking me high as the moon”
Her love is so strong she is often at a loss for words:
“Now that you’re mine
I’m staying quiet
‘cause my words are useless
They only confuse us”
It has gospel influences, and organs playing. It’s a beautiful tribute and will mean something to anyone in a relationship.
Track 16
| Push On for the Dawn | Corinne Bailey Rae | 06:11 |
In this song, I pay particular attention to how she sings it and the nuance and technicality of it. It’s another sweet song about being in love with her partner and inspiring her to keep pushing forward to a new day. She exclaims:
Everyday is a new beginning
Everyday is a chance to start again
Till time descends like a curtain calling: “It’s the end”
I find it uplifting. At the tail end of the song, the music keeps playing on for a few minutes, perhaps solidifying the feeling of being in the moment. It goes along with the theme of pushing forward, as was expressed in “Walk On” and “The Skies Will Break.” The idea is to keep pushing on and keep going; things will get better with time. “The skies will break for you, my friend.”
Conclusion:
Corrine Bailey Rae has brought us another fantastic, thoroughly heartfelt, and complex album. Nearly every track has a deeper meaning. She personally wrote or had a hand in every track. What makes it so great is not just the lyrics, but the way they are expressed and combined with the many instruments. Most of the songs have a deeper meaning or message, and sometimes those metaphors and how they are interpreted may have their own special meaning to you. She explained the importance of music in her Heart Speaks in Whispers podcast:
Music is an important part of the life force its the rhythm that beats through our life and in some cases it’s the thing that keeps us alive – Podcast Episode 5
This album is a departure from “The Sea,” which was largely about exploring her past relationships and somewhat gloomy topics. This one is much more uplifting. The “Heart Speaks in Whispers” lyric encourages us to follow our hearts and listen to our own intuition, instinct, and even our dreams.
Corinne put it this way:
It is moving from darkness to light it is moving from bitterness to sweetness. It does encapsulate a sort of newfound joy that I feel (529) The Innerview(Ep.230) Sensual singer-songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae _ Full Episode – YouTube
Heart represents the best of Rae’s first two albums, connecting the understated charm of her debut with The Sea’s pensive tone Corinne Bailey Rae: The Heart Speaks in Whispers Album Review | Pitchfork
In my opinion, this is her best album yet, slightly eclipsing her self-titled freshman effort. Through her music on this album, she has made it clear she is all grown up. She has worked through many of her emotional issues and is happy where she is in life. I really enjoyed the official music videos made especially for the album, which really brought the stories to life.
My Opinion:
These reviews are strictly my opinion, and I understand that many of these songs can and do mean different things to different people. I would be interested to hear your opinion. Perhaps I got it wrong on a few songs? I’d be interested to know how Corinne’s music has impacted you and what her songs and/or album mean to you as well! So please don’t be afraid to leave your opinion in the comments.
*****
Highly recommended! See also:
Corinne Bailey Rae – The Sea Review
Corinne Bailey Rae – Corinne Bailey Rae – Gray Defender
Postscript: Why was track 10 in the top spot versus track 3 (08/20/2023)? (Hit play on the blue bar to listen – bottom of post):
