|
ANDREA CORR Ten Feet High (Atlantic/Warner) |
 REMEMBER that talented sibling-quartet from Ireland called The Corrs? They dominated the airwaves with their fusion of Celtic folk and pop, churning out hits like Runaway, What Can I Do and Breathless. More than a decade after The Corrs' debut, Andrea Corr, the lead singer and youngest sister, has broken away from the group and released her first solo album, Ten Feet High. Her singing without the musical accompaniment of her elder siblings took a bit of getting used to but I eventually settled into the album. Don't expect any Celtic influences in the music because it is purely pop (and come to think of it, each The Corrs album moved further away from the folky sound of their debut). There are certainly no violins, bordhrans or tin whistles to be found here. Andrea's style has changed and she now sounds more seductive and naughty compared to the safe vibes of The Corrs. Her change in style bothers me a bit. She sounds as if she's really desperate to break away from what her group offered. The end result is that she has lost some of the originality and charm of her earlier recordings, which really does nothing to help her establish herself as a solo singer. Still, this album overcomes an uneven start to prove itself worthy of notice. The album opener sees Andrea trying to be overly sexy with Hello Boys. It doesn't turn out according to plan and she comes across as a novice bar singer instead. Another song that got on my nerves was Anybody There. It starts out great with a simple four-note intro until she comes to the chorus and sings: "You say there'd be manybody there to love me." I don't think that's a real word. But I suppose someone talked some sense into her while recording the last few tracks on the album because she begins to sound like herself again and you could feel all pretence melt away. There's a run of really good songs from the fifth track (Ten Feet High) onwards before the 12-track album ends on a high note. Not because she has gone out of her way to prove that she can sing a la Mariah but because the closer Ideal World is thought-provoking. If you do get this album, I'd advise you to be patient with the silliness of the first half. The last few tunes are really worth it. Hopefully, there'll be more consistent albums to come from this lady. |
