It features songs written by Bailey Rae before and after her husband's death, touching on themes of love, lament and solace.

[1] However, she took a hiatus from music, following the death of her husband, Scottish saxophonist Jason Rae,[2] in March 2008 to an accidental overdose of methadone and alcohol.

"[4] After months of grief and isolation, Bailey Rae revisited her work the following year and composed additional material for The Sea.

"[6] According to Chris Mugan from The Independent, The Sea was a departure from the polished sound of Bailey Rae's debut album,[7] while Paste magazine's Steve Labate said Bailey Rae expanded on her debut's mix of contemporary R&B and older soul music by incorporating pop rock, singer-songwriter influences, and occasional elements of bossa nova and trip hop.

[8] In the opinion of Craig McLean from The Daily Telegraph, the record's music evoked Simone's singing and the 1968 Van Morrison album Astral Weeks.

[9] Before releasing The Sea, Bailey Rae showcased songs from the album on a preview concert tour in late 2009, playing venues in England, Canada, Los Angeles, and New York.

[10] She also showcased its songs on 7 December at New York City's Hiro Ballroom, which was recorded for the public television series Live from the Artists Den.

[34] AllMusic's David Jeffries called it "a testament to Rae's artistic growth",[24] while Steve Leftridge of PopMatters found the album "richer" than her debut, with a "darker and more sophisticated sonic palette".

[30] In the Los Angeles Times, Powers deemed the album a "remarkable accomplishment" and "a step toward something—Rae's inner peace, and her next artistic breakthrough—that has its own considerable rewards".

The Observer's Graeme Thompson felt the album's strong points offer "glimpses of a new horizon shining beyond the riptides of pain and sorrow", but at times it sounds "dull and flat".

[37] Hot Press journalist Patrick Freyne believed the music exhibits an "excessive tastefulness" while panning the contributions of the session musicians, whom he said were "technically proficient" but sounded soulless.

[41][42] It was also nominated for the 2010 Mercury Prize, awarded annually for the best record from the UK or Ireland; Bailey Rae lost out to The xx's self-titled debut album.