Safe In a Crazy World

Album Review

With this second independent release on Pink Armchair Records, Corrinne May is stirring the spiritual longings and grabbing the heartstrings of her thousands of fans yet again. Born and raised in Singapore, educated at Berklee College of Music, and making a huge splash the previous few years on the L.A. indie pop/rock scene and beyond, May is truly a citizen of the world. Two continents specifically, as the spiritual-minded, ethereal-voiced artist's 2001 self-titled debut scored both in the U.S. — where she won the New Folk Award at the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas — and later throughout her native Asia upon distribution deals in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and her home island of Singapore. While her debut featured mostly introspective songs that chronicled her years as a songwriting and film scoring major at Berklee — touching on the themes of loneliness, isolation, and finding her creative and spiritual purpose — Safe in a Crazy World reflects a more upbeat, optimistic, and settled vibe. She finds clever ways to work her deep spiritual beliefs into the lyrically rich, emotionally compelling piano- and vocal-driven tapestry of the ten songs, including "Save Me," "Everything in Its Time," and "Angel in Disguise." Other standout tracks include "Little Superhero Girl" (which was literally inspired by the Powerpuff Girls cartoon) and "Every Beat of My Heart," a gentle, anthemic reminder to live in the present moment.