The Sea

The Sea is the second studio album by English singer-songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae. It was released on 20 January 2010 by Virgin Records. The album was conceived following Bailey Rae's hiatus from music, taken in the wake of her husband Jason Rae's death. She recorded The Sea at Limefield Studio in Manchester, England, during 2009, working mostly with a host of session musicians and the record producers Steve Brown and Steve Chrisanthou. It features songs written by Bailey Rae before and after her husband's death, touching on themes of love, lament and solace. The Sea debuted at number five on the UK Albums Chart and was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). It also charted at number seven on the Billboard 200 in the United States, where it had sold 156,000 copies by April 2010. A critical success, The Sea received mostly positive reviews and was nominated for the 2010 Mercury Prize. Bailey Rae supported the album with a concert tour in early 2010. Writing and recording Following the multi-platinum and award-winning success of her eponymous debut album in 2006, Bailey Rae began to work on songs for a follow-up album in late 2007. However, she took a hiatus from music, following the death of her husband, Scottish saxophonist Jason Rae, in March 2008 to an accidental overdose of methadone and alcohol. For a long period of time, Bailey Rae said, "I didn't really hear any songs. Normally in my everyday life, I'd be in the car and come up with a little line, or I'd look at something and try to describe it ... I didn't really think in that way anymore. Nothing was coming in." After months of grief and isolation, Bailey Rae revisited her work the following year and composed additional material for The Sea.