Fans of the Corrs have reason to rejoice this week. The photogenic Irish siblings have decided to get back together – and back to the business of making music. According to the Irish Independent, Andrea, Caroline, Sharon and Jim (along with various spouses, kids and -- one assumes – nannies) are laying down sweet harmonies in a London studio.
It will be interesting for both the band and their fans to see what’s changed during the decade they’ve spent apart. Some have pursued solo projects, so getting back into the group dynamic might require some patience. Back at the height of their fame, Andrea was the lead singer and focus of most of the attention -- but it remains to be seen whether she’ll be looking to share the spotlight with Caroline and Sharon.
Fans of the group’s sweet, breezy pop hits like “Runaway” and “So Young” will likely be looking for more of the same. But if reunited boy bands have taught us anything, it’s that the real money is in rehashing the hits – so new material might not get a foothold.
Also the Corrs, who have sold an amazing 45 million albums to date, are facing a music business that is very different from the one that made them rich and famous in the late ‘90s and early 2000s – it’s all about the singles (and streaming music) these days. Which means less money.
I have to confess, the group’s pop brilliance eluded me in their prime, though my sister practically wore grooves into all of our Corrs CDs. The Corrs were perfectly nice in interviews, and even more attractive in real life than in pictures. But I could never find a hook in one of their songs that really grabbed me, no matter how many times I heard “The Queen of Hollywoooooood.”
It was only when I heard their excellent, ethereal cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” from Talk on Corners that I got it. They’re greater than the sum of their parts. And that’s a talent that’s quite rare, indeed.
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