Manchester Apollo

Woozy, warm and grainy, Corinne Bailey Rae’s voice is one of the most sublime in British pop right now. Only a year since her self-titled debut album topped the charts on release, the 28-year-old has earned an impressive number of Mobo prizes, Brit awards and Grammy nominations. She is a genuine phenomenon.

Even so, her live shows are erratic. In Manchester, at the start of a UK tour rescheduled from last October, her idiosyncratic voice rarely had room to breathe. Instead, a nine-strong army of musicians and backing singers rode roughshod over her fragrant tones.

Much of the set was palatable and presentable, but sorely lacking in spark. Only the voluptuous curves of her two big singles, Like a Star and Put your Records On , stood out in an otherwise largely flat night. The crowd stood stone-faced and static throughout.

One key problem was the conservatism of Bailey Rae’s set. She may have covered Led Zeppelin and Primal Scream songs in the past, but she presents herself more as some 1980s lounge chanteuse in the Sade mould. Only the Simon Cowells who control the music industry consider this kind of Muzak to be soulful. In truth, it is the opposite: emotionally barren, scrubbed clean of personality and nowhere near as adventurous as her distinctive voice deserves.

Of course, there is room in pop for subtlety and understatement. But sexless, prematurely middle-aged music is harder to justify. Bailey Rae is clearly far too nice to be a true soul diva. She arrived on stage clutching a hot drink, which looked suspiciously like cocoa, and later dedicated Butterfly to her mother. A sweet gesture, but woefully drippy.

In fairness, Bailey Rae is still a beginner with just one album to her name. There were promising hints in the pair of new songs she unveiled here. Love Child sounded pleasingly textured, just the singer against a stark piano. I Won’t Let You lie to Yourself proved more raunchy, with a sulky swagger that built to a stomping, gospel-fired finale. But neither strayed too far outside her musical comfort zone. There were teasing hints of Nina Simone, Macy Gray and even Björk in Bailey Rae’s Manchester show. But for now, she remains a coffeehouse folk singer straining to fill the role of a concert-hall soul queen. All perfectly commendable, but until she takes a few more risks, just not very exciting.

Tour continues at Leeds University tomorrow

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