from=17th October 1997
By Fraser Middleton
ONLY an Irish band could get away with mixing traditional Irish folk music and a contemporary pop stamp and still be hailed as being truly original!
But the Corrs have done just that and Dundalk's favourite musical family look set for the stratosphere with their second album, Talk On Corners.
The sibling Corr quartet of Andrea, Jim, Caroline and Sharon shot to fame two years ago with a million-selling debut album, Forgiven Not Forgotten, which was hailed as a breakthrough folk-rock album both here and in the United States.
The new collection is a different animal altogether, retaining the musical elements of an ethnic folk traditional but more in keeping with the Fleetwood Mac than fiddles.
Lead singer, Andrea Corr, who recently performed alongside Madonna in the film version of Evita, admits the quartet have gained a harder-edged sound, but lays any blame firmly at the door of touring.
"We wanted to be a bit more adventurous this time round because we'd gained in confidence after the debut album," she explains.
"But the main change we wanted was a heavier instrumentation. We were touring in large concert halls for a year and recreating the sound of the first album was simply not a big enough sound for live shows.
"So we beefed it up so that we could reproduce it more faithfully in a live situation. All the old musical elements are still there, but there's a guitar edge to it."
The Corrs tour schedule was almost non-stop throughout 1996 and Andrea suffered from the hectic life more than most.
"We'd been away from home for four months solid and when a few days of break came up the rest of them headed for home to get some sleep.
"I had to go to Budapest instead for Evita and they almost had to hold me up to do my scenes I was so exhausted. But Madonna was great to work with, despite what you may have heard to the contrary!"
The family affair is no new phenomenon in the pop world, but surely to goodness they must want to strangle each other on occasion?
"The sparks fly from time to time," laughs Andrea. "But we've learned to live with that."
Thanks to Danny Anderson for supplying this material!