If you were one of the few hundred sweating along with Corinne Bailey Rae at the Mod Club in Toronto last week, consider yourself lucky. You may never be that intimate with Ms Rae again.

Rae has another date scheduled for the Mod Club in late August, but once word gets out of her marvel, don’t be surprised if organizers move her to a larger venue.

The sold-out crowd last week certainly wasn’t surprised at what they saw, since they were already in the know. Rae, the 27-year-old British darling, gracefully mixes jazz, R&B and rock into an incandescent and unique style.

Backed by a four-piece band and two backup singers, Rae performed songs off her debut self-titled album, smiling almost the entire time, taken aback by the lustrous reception.

Rae appeared to be nervous during her first two songs, but after getting loose, looked much more comfortable by the third. The crowd sang along to the addictive single, “Put Your Records On.” She also pulled off a Led Zeppelin cover in a jazzy R&B style.

The only knock on this concert ? and granted, she only has one album out ? she was onstage for only 45 minutes. Luckily, the return date is already set.

4*






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