The Love EP (Corinne Bailey Rae EP)

The Love EP
EP by
Corinne Bailey Rae
Released25 January 2011 (2011-01-25)
Studio
Length28:44
LabelCapitol
Producer
  • Steve Brown
  • Corinne Bailey Rae
Corinne Bailey Rae chronology
The Sea
(2010) 		The Love EP
(2011) 		The Heart Speaks in Whispers
(2016)
Singles from The Love EP
  1. "Is This Love"
    Released: 21 September 2010

The Love EP is the fourth extended play (EP) by English singer-songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae. It was released on 25 January 2011 by Capitol Records. The EP consists of five cover versions of love songs. Bailey Rae has described The Love EP as "an homage to some of my favourite musicians and a conversation between some of my musical influences".[1] The first single, a cover of Bob Marley and the Wailers' "Is This Love", won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance at the 54th Grammy Awards.[2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic77/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Consequence of SoundC−[5]
Entertainment WeeklyB[6]
Okayplayer89/100[7]
PopMatters6/10[8]

The Love EP received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 69, based on six reviews.[3] Andy Kellman of AllMusic viewed the EP as "a light stop-gap to hold fans over until Rae's third album", adding that "it's all the more enjoyable to hear the singer indulge herself and have a little fun with a set of favorites."[4] Zach Gase of Okayplayer commended Bailey Rae for her versatility and wrote that "[t]here really isn't a weak moment on The Love EP."[7] Greg Kot of Entertainment Weekly noted that Bailey Rae sounds "spunkier" than usual on the EP, citing her rendition of "Que Sera Sera" as a highlight.[6]

Frank Mojica of Consequence of Sound stated, "While every cover on The Love may not be exceptional, Corinne Bailey Rae once again exhibits remarkable vocal and musical range."[5] David Mine of PopMatters named "Que Sera Sera" the standout track of the EP, but felt that "[e]lsewhere, results are mixed", concluding, "If nothing else, Rae is to be commended for branching out and trying new styles, but it's that final song that really makes this record worthwhile."[8]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."I Wanna Be Your Lover"Prince Rogers Nelson
3:30
2."Low Red Moon"Tanya Donelly
  • Brown
  • Bailey Rae
5:01
3."Is This Love"Bob Marley
  • Brown
  • Bailey Rae
3:29
4."My Love"
  • Brown
  • Bailey Rae
3:17
5."Que Sera Sera" (live; recorded 13 May 2010 at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C.)
 13:27

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of The Love EP.[9]

  • Corinne Bailey Rae – vocals (all tracks); percussion (tracks 1, 2); backing vocals (tracks 1–3); production (tracks 1–4); Marxophone (track 2); arrangement (track 3); glockenspiel (track 4); electric guitar, premix (track 5)
  • Bryan Adams – photography
  • Gerard Albo – mixing, recording (track 5)
  • Barny – mixing (track 2)
  • Jennifer Birch – guitar (track 2); backing vocals, electric guitar (track 5)
  • Steve Brown – percussion (track 1); engineering, production (tracks 1–4); keyboards (tracks 1, 4, 5); glockenspiel, Marxophone (track 2); synths (tracks 2, 3); arrangement, organ, piano, programming, Wurlitzer (track 3); backing vocals (tracks 3–5); premix (track 5)
  • Matt Colton – mastering
  • Ruadhri Cushnan – mixing (track 1)
  • Luke Flowers – drums (all tracks)
  • Kenny Higgins – bass (tracks 1, 3, 5); Spanish guitar (track 3); vocals (track 5)
  • Gordon H. Jee – creative director
  • Randall Leddy – design
  • Nelson Lugo – mix assistance (track 4)
  • John McCallum – guitar (track 1); acoustic guitar, additional electric guitar (tracks 2, 4); backing vocals (tracks 3, 4); electric guitar (tracks 3, 5); additional vocal arrangement (track 4); vocals (track 5)
  • Joeri Saal – engineering (track 3)
  • Ray Staff – mastering
  • Phil Tan – mixing (track 3)
  • Ghian Wright – mixing (track 4)

Charts

Chart (2011) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[10] 86
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[11] 20

Release history

Region Date Format Label Ref.
Canada 25 January 2011
Capitol [12][13]
United States [14]
United Kingdom 14 February 2011 Virgin [1][15]

References

  1. ^ a b Murray, Robin (11 January 2011). "Corinne Bailey Rae Covers Prince". Clash. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  2. ^ Ward, Kate (12 February 2012). "Grammys 2012: Winners' list". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  3. ^ a b "The Love EP by Corinne Bailey Rae Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  4. ^ a b Kellman, Andy. "The Love EP – Corinne Bailey Rae". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  5. ^ a b Mojia, Frank (24 February 2011). "Corinne Bailey Rae – The Love EP". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  6. ^ a b Kot, Greg (19 January 2011). "The Love EP". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  7. ^ a b Gase, Zach. "Corinne Bailey Rae: The Love EP". Okayplayer. Archived from the original on 12 February 2011. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  8. ^ a b Mane, David (8 February 2011). "Corinne Bailey Rae: The Love EP". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 12 February 2011. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  9. ^ The Love EP (liner notes). Corinne Bailey Rae. Capitol Records. 2011. 509999 09352 2 0.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ "Corinne Bailey Rae Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  11. ^ "Corinne Bailey Rae Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  12. ^ "Love Ep: Corinne Bailey Rae". Amazon.ca. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  13. ^ "The Love E.P. by Corinne Bailey Rae". 7digital (US). Archived from the original on 28 February 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  14. ^ "The Love EP: Corinne Bailey Rae". Amazon. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  15. ^ "The Love – EP by Corinne Bailey Rae". iTunes Store (UK). Retrieved 12 January 2018.