Corinne Bailey Rae's First Manila Concert Proves She's More Than Just About Those Three Little Birds

(SPOT.ph) Corinne Bailey Rae. We know the name likely evokes nostalgia for anyone born in the late '80s to '90s, something about three little birds sitting on the window or arguing with a certain special someone. Now, nearly two decades after she released her first studio album in 2006, the English star finally brought her music live to our shores for the very first time on November 14 at The Filinvest Tent in Alabang. And in the same way we're very different from the version of ourselves that first heard "Put Your Records On", Corinne Bailey Rae proved she's not just that artist we once knew.

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Corinne Bailey Rae's first concert in Manila 

It was a cool, breezy Tuesday night down in the South. We had gotten there early and were part of the crowd milling about in the tent, waiting for Corinne. There were old couples, young couples, big groups, small groups, solitary figures, even a few toddlers complete with ear muffs in case it got too loud, all of us who had made our way to the tent to hear Corinne sing live just milling about. Outside, the busy city continued on. There's never any stopping when you live in a place like Metro Manila, after all, but for that one night inside that tent, we finally had the chance to do so; for once, waiting felt more like simply living, enjoying the now. 

A small crowd had already formed right in front of the stage when the first musician popped up, then another, and another, and finally the singer-songwriter herself walked out in a shining pink-purple jumpsuit and her signature curly hair untied. The moment she walked up to that mic, she made it very clear that while there may be decades between her first album and now, she still had that same strength, clarity, and control that first had everyone falling in love with her. And a smile that, on the off-chance her music wasn't enough to make you happy, was dead sure to get you grinning ear-to-ear, too. 

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Beyond Corinne Bailey Rae's "Put Your Records On"

The two-time Grammy-award winning artist was bringing over her Black Rainbows Tour over to Manila with Karpos Live, but she sang songs from across her discography. 

There was the sweet little "Closer" from 2010's The Sea. With blues guitar, drums, and organ, and stellar back-up vocals, the mostly stripped-back track became all powerful live, especially with Corinne Bailey Rae stepping away from her place centerstage and coming, aptly, closer, to the audience. 

She took the 2006 track "Till It Happens to You" out for a bit of a soulful rock ride. With the instrumentalists giving it their all, and even complete with back-up vocals, her voice remained crystal above it all. It was hard not to sway along to the music filling up the tent. 

You might remember her cover of Bob Marley's "Is This Love" which got her a Grammy back in 2012. Well, she performed a cover, but it was far from the blues-y, piano-led one that she released—no, this one was different, and we were grateful for it. This version led with drums and blues on guitar, and, of course, her voice singing the simple truths of the reggaeton classic. 

Diving into her 2023 album, she brought out the zappy energy of "New York Transit Queen". This quick 1.5-minute long track is about as far as possible from her 2006 album as we can get, and we're not just talking about time span. The track is pure rock and grunge, with her trading the usual soul jams for fun and low-key yelling, especially in a live concert. 

A lot went down in Corinne Bailey Rae's first-ever, long-overdue Manila concert. Seeing her live cemented how much time has passed, and how much has changed, including her music. What hasn't at all, though, is the power her songs have. If you've only ever listened to her debut album, we say it's time you look back at your old fave and hear what's new.