Corinne Bailey Rae

In an era when female R&B singers are often little more than pitch-corrected fashion divas, Corinne Bailey Rae's 2006 debut album was a heartening triumph of vocal chops and genuine soul. The U.K.-born singer/multi-instrumentalist got her start singing in her church choir, but followed the siren song of indie rock and joined the all-female metal band Helen in the mid-1990s. When Helen's album deal fell through, Bailey Rae looked for other avenues of musical expression and, influenced by classic jazz singers, tried her hand at a mellower, more emotive style of singing. By 2005 Bailey Rae had been offered a solo record deal with EMI. The resulting album was an international hit, charting high all over Europe and the U.S.

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