Set on an exciting path to future stardom, Brooklyn based singer songwriter Jesse Boykins III exclusively dropped something rather special into the SoulCulture inbox this afternoon: his beautiful interpretation of “Closer,” a highlight from Corinne Bailey Rae‘s latest album, The Sea.

Compelled to reinterpret the song and show some love to Ms Bailey Rae, Jesse says, “The song ‘Closer’ to me is about confusion… Love/Hate…” adding, “Love always wins.”

Kick back and enjoy.

Jesse Boykins III – “Closer” (originally by Corinne Bailey Rae):

DOWNLOAD “CLOSER”

Here’s the video to Corinne Bailey Rae‘s latest single “Closer”, from her album, The Sea. I love this song; in fact I love the album. While I acknowledged her vocal talent before, I had very little interest in Ms Bailey Rae, but her gritty soulfulness, musical openness and depth on this record (much derived from experiencing and triumphing through great heartache) made her music finally something I could relate to. Anyway, I digress – dope tune and stunning visuals by Adria Petty.

Corinne Bailey Rae gave a passionate performance this weekend at the Glastonbury 2010 festival which also had some amazing performances from The Gorillaz and Snoop Dogg.
Although this wasn’t her 1st performance at Glastonbury but this was the first time Corinne had performed on the main pyramid stage and she didn’t disappoint.

Watch the full performance below.

Corinne Bailey Rae joined Jools Holland for the last episode in the current series of Later With… Jools Holland this week.
Delivering amazing performances of “Paris Nights/New York Mornings” & “Closer” from her current album The Sea, I don’t think I have ever seen this woman deliver a wack or sub par performance yet.

Excellent performance from Corinne Bailey Rae of “The Blackest Lily”, taken The Sea, backed by house band The Roots on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

Amazing performance from Corinne Bailey Rae of “Closer” which is one of my favourite tracks from her recent album The Sea.

BONUS: After the jump watch Corinne Bailey Rae talking to Soulculture.TV about Erykah Badu and the creation of The Sea’s album artwork.

Corinne Bailey Rae inspired by Erykah Badu & Bjork

Corinne Bailey Rae Talks The Sea Album Artwork

After last week’s sold-out gig at Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London, Corinne Bailey Rae announces three further UK shows this month:

27th March @ Leeds Metropolitan University

29th March @ Glasgow Oran Mor

30th March @ Leamington Spa Assembley Halls

The support for all shows is Fyfe Dangerfield.

Tickets are available NOW, priced at £18.50:

Leeds & Leamington Spa: 0871 2200 260 / www.gigsandtours.com
Glasgow: 08444 999 990 /  www.gigsinscotland.com

Corinne’s new single, ‘Paris Nights/ New York Mornings’ is released on March 29^th and she then heads over to the US for a major tour in support of her new album, The Sea, with Daniel Merriweather supporting on all North American dates.

I don’t know about you but we loved the lush, dreamy artwork for Corinne Bailey Rae‘s latest album, The Sea. Find out more about Tierney Gearon‘s technique and what Corinne loves about it, in our video below…

Now win yourself a prize!
Up for grabs today…

• A pair of tickets to see Ms Bailey Rae perform with a full band in London on February 24th, live at Shepherds Bush Empire.
• Two SIGNED copies of Corinne Bailey Rae’s new album, The Sea

To win, simply comment below – letting us know why YOU should win.
The most interesting/creative/entertaining comment(er) will win.

Get creative and good luck!

NB. Make sure you put your REAL email address in the details section (not visible to the public) so we can let you know you’ve won!

Competition closes Wednesday 17th February at 12pm.

Corinne Bailey Rae was recently in Studio Q promoting her new album The Sea. Enjoy her performance of one of my favourite songs on the LP.

After The Jump Checkout a snippet from Soulculture.TV’s interview with Corinne Bailey Rae where she describes her experience of attending Erykah Badu‘s recent album listening party held in New York – and explains why the figurehead of Neo Soul is one of her key modern musical inspirations, alongside Bjork.

SoulCulture had the pleasure of interviewing Corinne Bailey Rae this week – and of course caught it all on camera for you. Keep an eye out for the full interview next week – along with your chance to win signed copies of her new album The Sea [click for our review] plus tickets to see her perform live in London with full band this month.

In the meantime, check out this snippet from our interview below in which Corinne describes her experience of attending Erykah Badu‘s recent album listening party held in New York – and explains why the figurehead of Neo Soul is one of her key modern musical inspirations, alongside Bjork.

CorinneBaileyRae.net | Twitter.com/CorinneBRae | Facebook.com/CorinneBaileyRae