Corinne Bailey Rae

Twenty-six, sexy and already huge in her native England, Corinne Bailey Rae is a fresh new talent. Her debut album, just released in the States, features tight, crisp production, sultry, soulful vocals, and the occasional ass-shaking groove. It should prove equally appealing to American audiences.

Rae combines influences from Billie Holiday to Erykah Badu and winds up sounding like a hipper version of Norah Jones. She's not just a pretty face, either, having co-written all ten tunes here. Her self-titled debut is soulful, downtempo chillout with some pop danceables like "Trouble Sleeping," "Call Me When You Get This," and "I'd Like To." Some of the more mellow tracks tend to be less memorable on initial spins.

Everyone's talking about "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley as being this year's "Hey Ya!", but once you tire of that track, you'll still be bopping your head to Rae's "Put Your Records On." Get her before Starbucks does. She's going to be this year's Sia. This sweet and salty, peanut-buttery record will go great with your chocolate, whether it's a double mocha latte or...well, use your imagination. - Jeff Kamin

When songstress Corinne Bailey Rae released her sashaying single "Put Your Records On" in her native U.K. it was a feel-good adult alternative phenomenon -- a kind of Norah Jones, Joss Stone, David Gray, or Macy Gray phenomenon. One listen to her breakout soft soul anthem and it's easy to hear why, since Rae is a mix of all the above but not a contrived one concocted by some major label's scientist. 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, especially when Rae doesn't weaken her strong lyrics with space-filling "doo de do do do"s and "mmmmmmm"s. So if she doesn't make an Alicia Keys-size splash with her debut, she's still a breath of fresh air, and hardly a one-hit wonder. It's risky to open an album with a lazy ballad, but the great "Like a Star" paints Rae as Billie Holiday's pop-influenced granddaughter. Mellowing Style Council or Brand New Heavies fans should dig "Trouble Sleeping," while "Butterfly" beautifully captures the full range of emotions that come with leaving the nest. The well-written and direct "Butterfly" suggests Rae could release a more accomplished full-length someday, but attention to "feel" often seems like the driving force in this album's creation. Adjust your expectations accordingly and Rae's languid debut is very rewarding. ~ David Jeffries, Rovi