New York (Top40 Charts/ Capitol Records) - The Sea, the follow up to Corinne Bailey Rae's 2006 self-titled debut, entered The Billboard 200 at No. 7, selling upwards of 53,000 copies in its first week of release. The U.K. singer-songwriter launched the new album with four national television appearances last week, performing on 'TODAY,' 'Tavis Smiley,' 'Ellen' and 'The Late Late Show with
Craig Ferguson.' Click below to see Bailey Rae performing her new single, 'Closer,' on 'Ellen.' The track was No 1 Most Added this week at Urban AC radio. It just went to Smooth Jazz and impacts AC radio later this month.
Bailey Rae will return to the States for appearances on 'Late Show with David Letterman' (March 1st), 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' (March 8th) and 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno' (April 4th). "Live From The Artists Den" recently captured a full concert of Bailey Rae's, which will air on Public Television this spring (details to be announced shortly).
Tickets go on sale beginning this weekend for Bailey Rae's upcoming North American tour, her first in three years. Playing a mixture of intimate venues and festivals, she'll kick off the outing on April 9th in Vancouver, BC. She will perform at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival (April 17th), the St. Lucia Jazz Festival (May 8th) and on select Lilith Fair dates (to be announced). See below for itinerary and on sale dates.
"The album is a major creative leap from her debut," said The New York Times of The Sea while People noted: "she captivates with a haunting, heartbreaking set that's almost painfully exquisite." In a four-star review, the Los Angeles Times called it 'a remarkable accomplishment.' 'The Sea is full of tunes packing an intensity and musical adventurousness that might surprise those who know Bailey Rae only from her breezy breakthrough single 'Put Your Records On,'" observed Entertainment Weekly while NPR's 'All Things Considered' said: "Corinne Bailey Rae mesmerizes with The Sea�.[It] marks the arrival of a newly observant songwriter and an absolutely fearless singer.'
Bailey Rae's first album entered the U.K. album chart at No 1 in June 2006 and she was the first British female singer-songwriter in decades to have her debut enter The Billboard 200 in the Top 20. By year's end, it was RIAA-certified Platinum. She won a Q award, a MOJO award, an Image award and two MOBO awards and was nominated for three GRAMMY awards - 'Record Of The Year' and 'Song Of The Year' for her first single, 'Put Your Records On,' and 'Best New Artist.' After Bailey Rae's performance on the 2007 GRAMMY Awards telecast, the album rocketed into the Top 5 of The Billboard 200. In 2008, 'Like A Star,' her second single, was nominated for 'Song Of The Year' and Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters, on which Corinne sang the title track, won the GRAMMY for 'Album Of The Year.'
Corinne Bailey Rae - North American Tour:
4/9 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom 2/5
4/11 Portland, OR Roseland Theatre 2/6
4/12 Seattle, WA Moore Theatre 2/6
4/15 San Francisco, CA Regency Ballroom 2/7
4/17 Indio, CA Coachella Music and Arts Festival on sale now
4/22 Chicago, IL Vic Theatre 2/6
4/24 Detroit, MI St. Andrews Hall TBD
4/26 Toronto, ON Queen Elizabeth Theatre TBD
4/28 Montreal, QC Club Soda 2/6
4/30 Boston, MA House of Blues 2/6
5/1 Philadelphia, PA Theatre of Living Arts 2/5
5/3 New York, NY Webster Hall 2/13
5/8 St. Lucia St. Lucia Jazz Festival TBD
5/11 Atlanta, GA Center Stage 2/6
5/13 Washington, DC 9:30 Club 2/6
5/14 Baltimore, MD Ram's Head Live 2/6
