With their unique blend of contemporary and traditional Irish musics, 143/Lava/Atlantic recording artists, the Corrs, have established
themselves as true originals. On their long-awaited new "TALK ON CORNERS," the Dundalk, Ireland group, Jim (keyboards/guitars/vocal),
Andrea (lead vocals, tin whistle), Caroline (drums, bodhran, vocals) and Sharon (violin, vocals) create a sound steeped in the tradition of
their homeland, but invested with a vibrant and electric modern pop flavor. On tracks like the dramatic "Only When I Sleep," (co-written by
the band with producer Oliver Lieber, the son of legendary songsmith Jerry Lieber) or the harmony-laden first single, "Dreams" (which also
appears on Lava/Atlantic"s "LEGACY: A TRIBUTE TO FLEETWOOD MAC'S RUMOURS"), the family Corr concoct a delightful and
emotional music unlike any on today's popular scene.
As with their acclaimed 1995 debut, "FORGIVEN, NOT FORGOTTEN," the new album was helmed in part by fourteen-time Grammy
Award-winning producer David Foster. "We feel he understands our music and the way we want our music to sound," Caroline says of the
Corrs' musical mentor. "He's fantastic with vocals and harmonies. He always comes up with some other idea that you might not have
thought of."
Foster was but one of a handful of producers to work with the Corrs on "TALK ON CORNERS." In their quest to add a fresh new attitude, the
quartet opted to collaborate with a number of other well-known studio hitmakers. The list includes Glen Ballard (Alanis Morissette), Billy
Steinberg (Madonna), Rick Nowells (Belinda Carlisle), and Jim Corr himself. For the album's big ballads' "I Never Loved You Anyway" and
"Don't Say You Love Me" the band teamed up with one of pop's songwriting legends, Academy Award-winning lyricist Carole Bayer Sager.
"We just decided to try new things," Andrea says, "to match up with other people. It was all great fun."
"Each song is different," she continues, noting the record's lyrical themes. "There's love, life, tragedy, hope, dreams, fantasy. It's whatever
the music inspires."
The striking "TALK ON CORNERS" also sees a remarkable growth and significant change from "FORGIVEN, NOT FORGOTTEN,"
incorporating a more melancholy and adventurous tint to their musical palette.
"From all the performances we did on tour around the world," Andrea says, "we had developed in such a way that we wanted to be a little
edgier."
"We learned an awful lot from being on stage," Jim adds, "so we made it slightly more guitar-oriented. It's a harder, rockier sound, but it still
maintains the sound of the Corrs."
Highlights of the album include the dynamic "Queen of Hollywood" (whose lyric supplies "TALK ON CORNERS" with its title), "Paddy
McCarthy," a new instrumental that harkens back to the Corrs' folk roots, as well as a duet with the Chieftains on a Celtic version of Jimi
Hendrix's "Little Wing," replete with harp, fiddles, flutes, tin whiste, bodhran, and uillean pipes.
"They called us and asked us to do a song with them for their album," Caroline says of teaming with Paddy Maloney's renowned traditional
Irish troupe. "It was (producer/manager) John Hughes' idea to ask them to do "Little Wing," and it turned out fantastic. They're great
musicians. We just sat down together and just played."
Internationally, "TALK ON CORNERS" has continued the incredible streak of successes begun with the Corrs' debut. "FORGIVEN, NOT
FORGOTTEN" made a huge splash on a worldwide scale, racking up worldwide sales of nearly 2 million: certified gold in France, Canada,
Norway, and Japan; double platinum in Spain, Denmark, and New Zealand; and an unprecedented eight-times platinum in Australia and
Ireland (where it is one of the all-time best-selling debuts by a native recording group in the country's history). In less than six months, "TALK
ON CORNERS" has already logged sales of 1.1 million worldwide, and is still going strong. After debuting in the #1 spot on Ireland's pop
chart, the album has been certified six-times platinum, while in Spain, the double-platinum "TALK ON CORNERS" has been in the Top 10
for more than two months.
The Corrs have made innumerable TV appearances around the globe, including: Kelly Live in Ireland; the U.K.'s Richard & Judy and
Surprise Surprise (hosted by former British chart-topper and Beatles' pal, Cilla Black); and The Jose Carerras Gala in Germany; not to
mention their performances on such American programs as Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Today, and CBS This Morning, along with a
classic guest slot on Fox's popular nighttime soap opera, Beverly Hills 90210.
An aspiring actress in her spare time (of which there is very little), Andrea been increasingly involved in making movies. In Warner Bros.'
first fully animated film, The Quest For Camelot, she serves as the singing voice of the heroine, Kayley (The film's Curb/Warner
Sunset/Atlantic soundtrack features two new David Foster/Carole Bayer Sager-penned Corrs tracks: "On My Father's Wings" and Andrea's
duet with country music superstar Bryan White, "Looking Through Your Eyes"). In addition, Andrea has now appeared in two films by
director Alan Parker: The Commitments and Evita. In filming the latter, as Jim, Sharon, and Caroline escaped on a well-deserved vacation,
Andrea flew to Budapest to portray Juan Peron's mistress.
"It was brilliant," Andrea says of working with the film's star, Madonna. "She was fantastic. I was nervous, but I just did my bit."
With their ever-growing fanbase in mind, the siblings have taken their show on the road, receiving standing ovations as support to such
artists as Celine Dion and Michael Bolton, as well as on their own. An appearance before a crowd of 50,000 at 1996's big Fleadh festival in
London's Finsbury Park with Sting and Van Morrison was a triumph, prompting The London "Times" to declare that "The Corrs took only
forty minutes on the main stage to demonstrate why they are a good bet for stardom."
"It's our first priority," Sharon says of the Corrs live experience. "It's where you really reach your audience, where you really communicate
with them. And as musicians, we just love playing."
With "TALK ON CORNERS," the Corrs are set to continue on their path towards bringing their unique brand of Celtic pop-rock to the rest of
the known universe. Recent months have seen the group wowing capacity crowds in Australia/New Zealand, Japan, and of course, Europe.
Among the highlights was a St. Patrick's Day show at London's Royal Albert Hall, a concert which was televised by the BBC and on
America's Odyssey cable network. The sold-out show featured a special guest appearance by Fleetwood Mac founder Mick Fleetwood for
a rendition of "Dreams."
The time has now come for the Corrs to bring their live magic to North America. The group will spend part of the spring and early summer as
part of the annual Guinness Fleadh roadshow, a festival tour that unites U.S. and British folk artists, rootsy rock 'n' rollers, and country &
western combos with practitioners of traditional (and not-so-traditional) Irish music.
As Andrea says, explaining the Corrs' popularity around the planet, "I think the reason for that is our music is very melodic. Also, there's
something about the traditional Irish music element that, all around the world, seems to capture everybody's heart."
