Though they may not be too familiar with the name, soulful house connoisseurs/anoraks will recognize the voice of Bonnie Bailey. Her waif like vocals graced countless tunes in the early noughties – chiefly on the renowned Hed Kandi label. Bonnie fronted countless tracks that were featured on all kinds of beach/chill compilations. And why not? Her wispy, light and cute voice (the polar opposite of your usual gospel reared house diva) was (indeed is) perfect to accentuate those lovely laid-back Cafe del Mar moments.
At the peak of Hed Kandi’s success a whole solo album was planned for Ms Bailey but for all kinds of reasons it never happened. Bonnie, however, continued to record –working chiefly with her original mentor, acclaimed US producer Eric Kupper and sometime Hed Kandi boss, Mark Doyle – now head boy at Fierce Angel Records. A number of Bonnie Bailey tracks have appeared on Fierce Angel and now – fanfare please – here’s the long awaited BB solo set.
In truth not all the material is brand new –essentially this is a package of greatest hits and associated remixes and the menu, given the context, is very varied. There are, of course, those signature “Bonnie Bailey beach grooves” – ‘Safe’, ‘Rise’ and ‘Even After’ –all in the classic “Eric’s Beach” mixes. All three are still wonderful summer sounds. Then there’s the “harder” stuff, though tunes like ‘Firefly’, ‘I Know You’re There’ and ‘Sweet Serendipity’ aren’t too tough. They couldn’t be. Bonne’s more Kate Bush than Jocelyn Brown and – lo and behold – the 12 tracker actually boasts a Kate Bush cover… Bonnie’s version of ‘This Woman’s Work’. (also covered by Maxwell, you may remember). The song allows Bonnie to show off the purity of her voice which also shines on the ballad ‘I Can’t Hardly Wait’. ‘This Woman’s Work’ also comes in a “Fierce Angel” remix; too fierce, methinks, for the sentiment of the song.
You’ll note that this is “Volume 1” –presumably there’s more to come from Ms Bailey later in the year?
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