Corinne Bailey Rae

At her best, Corinne Bailey Rae occupies territory staked out by predecessors like Bill Withers and Sade: the sexy sweet spot where the bedroom meets the brunch table. But this covers collection sags under the weight of busy arrangements that sound like the work of an overly ambitious wedding band. Rae slows down Bob Marley’s ”˜Is This Love’ to a creep, piling on harmonies; a live recording of ”˜Que Sera, Sera’ plods for 13-plus minutes. Rae sounds great on a stripped-down reading of Wings’ ”˜My Love’: just acoustic guitar, drums, organ and Rae’s lovely voice ”“ finally, a little romance, without a lot of fuss.

Key Tracks: ”˜I Wanna Be Your Lover,’ ”˜My Love’