The Corrs Albums (8)
What The Critics Say
The title of the Corrs' fifth full-length studio album, Home, alludes to the fact that the family quartet is returning to its Celtic roots after spending several years pursuing crossover pop success. Not that the group has abandoned the perks of its international fame -- this time around, they've gotten superstar producer Mitchell Froom to helm the recording -- nor has the group ever been a strictly traditional Celtic group; even on their debut album they worked with producer David Foster, best known for his adult contemporary hits for Celine Dion and Whitney Houston, which isn't exactly traditional. In fact, Froom helps guide the Corrs to make their most traditional Celtic album ever, while retaining the pleasingly polished production of their crossover pop albums. Home also has a shade of the artiness that has marked Froom's past productions -- he doesn't simply let the music breathe, he has it paint soundscapes -- without getting overwhelmed with trickery. He lets the Corrs takes center stage and they've never sounded better than they do here, due both to the recording and the excellent song selection. The quartet relies heavily on a songbook of their late mother, but among these traditional songs they weave in such contemporary classics as Anna McGarrigle's "Heart Like a Wheel" and Richard Thompson's "Dimming of the Day," while adding Phil Lynott's "Old Town" for a welcome, lighthearted change of pace. It all adds up to a rich, resonant album that's the Corrs' best to date. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Their detractors still whine about how the Corrs used to be so Celtic (they were somewhat, but not to the degree the bellyaching infers) and now they're so light in the substance department (so was ABBA; so what?). They'll hate this one because Borrowed Heaven is light as a feather, but what harmonies, what presentation. While it's lighter in singles than their better albums, Borrowed Heaven benefits plenty from the bright, slightly electronica, and crystal-clear production courtesy of Olle Romo. While former producers -- bombastateers Robert John "Mutt" Lange and Glen Ballard -- brought the band big productions with big possibilities, Romo offers a more intimate Corrs, better for sitting in your room than spinning in the sunlight. With no hip-hop or punk angst on Borrowed Heaven, the band is out of touch with 2004 radio, so creating a fan's album ends up both a smart and comfortable move. Minus the bubbly good and pretty vacant kickoff single, "Summer Sunshine," plus a couple mundane fluff fillers, Borrowed Heaven is the most personal Corrs album since their debut, and you can't help but feel that it's due to Romo's light touch. He's out of the picture when need be, but always there with an interesting studio trick when the album starts spinning its wheels. The best example is the exchange between his synth fills and the band's boisterous reel on "Angel," but you can also choose the way he makes the band actually sound funky on "Humdrum" or the way he tones down the Bono and Gavin Friday-penned "Time Enough for Tears" to a believable and touching level. Andrea Corr's performance here is serene and more sincere than the one she did for the In America soundtrack, and it anchors the album. Ladysmith Black Mambazo guest on the title track, a dreamy, Peter Gabriel-styled number with another great performance from Andrea. Lyrically, the more intimate Corrs are fine and forgettable most of the time, but occasionally clichés are delivered in such an earnest manner they're hard to ignore (the death-of-a-loved-one song "Goodbye" opens with the good old "I never thought you would leave"). Borrowed Heaven's lyric sheet is filled with high-school diary hackneyed favorites, but if you like your pop -- unadulterated pop -- presented and played extremely well, you're cheating yourself if you don't check it out. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
'VH1 Presents the Corrs: Live in Dublin'
Release Date 3/12/2002
Tracks 11
Label Atlantic
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
You knew the Corrs had made it when they played the final JFK Awards ceremony of the Clinton administration. Playing it would have been achievement enough, but their status as a happening thing was cemented at the end of the ceremony, during the encores, when everybody was taking their final bows. Bill moseyed up over to Andrea, put his arm around her, and when she was looking away, sized her up -- at precisely the same moment Chuck Berry was checking her out. If that doesn't mean that you've broken America, entering its pop culture, I don't know what does, expect for maybe a VH1-endorsed piece of product like Live in Dublin. Lo and behold, that's exactly what the Corrs received in the spring of 2002, a year and a half after "In Blue" and its accompanying single "Breathless" broke down the doors in America for the U.S. Only two songs on this set list are shared with In Blue, but that doesn't mean that the group returns to their slightly more traditional Celtic roots on the remainder of the songs. Sure, there are hints of that, but there are also four pop covers, two of them ("Little Wing" and "Ruby Tuesday") featuring Ron Wood, with another song, the Lee Hazelwood/Nancy Sinatra duet "Summer Wine," featuring Bono. Some of this is not unfamiliar to the Corrs' repertoire, since they did cover "Little Wing" before, on Talk on Corners (plus an MTV Unplugged release), but the end result is the same -- it's a crossover collection, not an album that emphasizes their Celtic roots. This wouldn't be a problem if the seams weren't so transparent -- if each selection didn't seem like it was a way to expand the group's audience, if it didn't seem like the soundtrack to post-yuppie dinner parties. On that level, it succeeds pretty well, and it is pleasant, but if a family of four very good-looking siblings didn't perform this music, it's hard to see this attracting much attention. After all, in this context, Bono and Ronnie Wood don't seem all that far removed from the leering Bill Clinton and Chuck Berry. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
A very straightforward release from the Corrs, who spend the majority of this outing in full-blown pop mode, with the Celtic elements mostly being relegated to the backgrounds of several songs. The one exception is the closing instrumental, "Rebel Heart," which stirs itself up full-bloodily to provide the album with an anthem. In Blue is a bright, peppy set that bears more than a few comparisons to the work of bands such as the Bangles and Fanny, though the Corrs have an additional advantage in that Caroline Corr is an impressively muscular drummer. The CD includes a HyperCD section with a video for "Breathless" and various web links. ~ Steven McDonald, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Songs on the Corrs' Talk on Corners fly inoffensively past the window like scenery on a drive through the countryside, with two pretty singers at the wheel. This essentially Irish sister act (with Corr group Andrea, Caroline, and Sharon on vocals, drums, and violin, respectively, and brother Jim on guitar and keyboards) legitimately brings to mind comparisons with another family-based girl group, Wilson Phillips, particularly since the impulses and instincts are truly pop and not so much alt-traditional Celtic (as they are often cited to be). This timely record documents a high-riding point for the Corrs by re-releasing newly mixed versions of "What Can I Do?" and "So Young," both highly compressed digital productions featuring their trademark glass voices and barely discernible acoustic musical instruments. Also on the record: "Queen of Hollywood," "Runaway," "No Good for Me," and their huge international hit ballad "I Never Loved You Anyway." The best and most spirited Celtic cut is "Little Wing," deliciously resting on the contributions of the dropping-by Chieftains. Each and every cut sounds wired for radio play; unlike the less Americanized, riskier Cranberries, the Corrs should enjoy a career as nicely sustained as some of the girls' best musical notes. ~ Becky Byrkit, All Music Guide
'Forgiven, Not Forgotten'
Release Date 9/26/1995
Tracks 15
Label East West
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The appropriately named Corrs are an Irish pop group consisting of Andrea Corr on lead vocals and tin whistle; Caroline Corr on drums, bodhran, and vocals; Jim Corr on keyboards, guitar, and vocals; and Sharon Corr on violin and vocals. The traditional Irish instruments like the bodhran and tin whistle add a twist to the pop melodies of tracks like the title track and "The Right Time," where they are allowed some solo time. The Irish musical background of the band members is most obviously heard in Sharon Corr's violin work, used here more like a traditional Irish fiddle than a true classical violin. There are glimpses of the Corrs' skill as instrumentalists on tracks like "Erin Shore," the introduction on the album. There are a few of these instrumentals placed throughout the album, but unfortunately, none are much longer than two minutes. The focus is on the adult contemporary mid-tempo songs. The Corrs are more reminiscent of vocal pop group Wilson Phillips than traditional Irish bands like the Chieftains. ~ Susan Cruickshank, All Music Guide
