Talk On Corners – The Corrs – 1997

First listen?: Yes

It’s hard not to like The Corrs. Soft Irish vocals, catchy uptempo acoustic guitar, a little bit of violin, it’s a recipe for some lovely music. Lovely being a word I doubt I’ll use to describe anything else in this list. The UK chart is no stranger to a band made up of brothers and sisters, but it’s interesting that The Corrs are the only band of their kind in the top 40 of all time. Another album that went on to be a huge success after a re-release, Talk On Corners only took off after a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams was released as a single and added to the tracklist. Becoming the band’s first top 10 in the UK, 3 more hits soon followed, two of which being remixes of tracks from the album and the other a remix of their debut single Runaway. It was an interesting path to take, but it led The Corrs to be the biggest sellers of 1998. As first listens go, it was interesting to hear the original versions of these songs I had enjoyed for years in remix form, What Can I Do and So Young make much more sense in context too. The album remains upbeat throughout too, which is a surprise. The Alanis Morisette influences are strong on songs like I Never Loved You Anyway, just with a bit more Irish flute accompanying Andrea Corr’s aggressive vocal. She really does have a great pop rock voice, knowing when to hold it back and let the gorgeous harmonies with her sisters take centre stage. Over a full album The Corrs sound lovely together. Lovely violin, lovely flute, lovely guitar, lovely lyrics. All round lovely Irish loveliness. It’s no wonder the UK loves them.

Rating: 7/10

Will I listen again?: Yes, I was already a fan of their singles, but after hearing a full album I’ll probably be raiding Spotify for the rest of their discography.

Best Track: So Young.