love is love

As January slips into February, thoughts of love start to bubble to the surface. For slurry chanteuse, Corinne Bailey Rae, love is overall theme of her forthcoming project, "The Love EP". Snappy title!

Consisting of five lovey dovey covers, the EP shows Corinne wearing her influences and inspirations on the very end of her neatly tailored sleeve.

First up is a daring choice - "I Wanna Be Your Lover", Prince's breakthrough hit from 1979. Who knew she had some sexy funk itching to get out?

The arrangement remains faithful to the original. Corinne could've gone more glossy and electronic with it, but she chose to pull back on the shimmer. The rag tag edges like the buzzy synths and slightly loose drumming give it a more live and honest quality. Surprisingly, her dreamy vocal suits the track perfectly. The extended, vampy jam at the tail end sprinkles in a bit of dark joy.

The rest of the EP includes her take on "Low Red Moon" by Belly, "Is This Love?" by Bob Marley, "My Love" by Paul McCartney and Wings and a live rendition of "Que Sera Sera" originally made famous by Doris Day.

"The Love EP" will be available from all fine digital outlets on Valentine's Day. Natch!