The Corrs - In Blue (2000)

A very enjoyable release from this family group, one of Ireland's most successful musical exports. Above average adult contemporary soft rock with just a touch of edge on several tracks. A little more popish than folkish, although I also like the slightly more traditional folk sound of their 1995 release. The change paid dividends for the quartet as the album sold platinum and hit #1 in several countries plus gave the group their only Top 40 hit in the United States with Breathless.

Breathless was nominated for a Grammy award in the category Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, eventually losing to Cousin Dupree by Steely Dan. Track 15, the more traditional Rebel Heart, was nominated for Best Pop Instrumental Performance, eventually losing to Caravan by The Brian Setzer Orchestra.

Peak on the US Billboard 200 chart: #21

Tracks: The disc kicks off with three strong tracks: Breathless (#7 adult pop, #34 pop), Give Me A Reason, and Somebody For Someone. Other top tracks include All The Love In The World (#24 adult pop), Irresistible, No More Cry, and Rebel Heart. I don't think it's a coincidence that Breathless, All The Love In The World, and Irresistible are the three cuts on the album produced by Mutt Lange (and, yes, I'll admit they sound like Shania Twain releases of the time). I think the album would have been a fantastic, tight CD if they'd pared it down to about 10 cuts, but with 15 tracks it goes on a bit long for me.

But the music isn't even the most interesting thing about this CD to me. This is the only CD I currently have on my shelves labeled as a "HyperCD."

From what I can tell, this short-lived brand of software was designed to work by simultaneously utilizing data from three separate locations: 1) downloaded software stored on the users' computers, 2) data contained on the disc itself, and 3) the Internet. This technology was marketed to consumers as "an exciting new hybrid CD technology that delivers high quality video and CD-quality audio via the Web without any of the quality loss of streaming or the lengthy download times associated with the Web at large." However, to the record labels, it was marketed as offering "fully trackable offline/online marketing solutions." In other words, direct marketing plus offline data collection opportunities.^[source]

And while date mining is commonplace now, it was relatively new and controversial at the time. So consumers got wind of the suspect data collection and there goes your HyperCD (along with the increased availability of broadband service plus there was a problem with forgetting to renew the registration of the HyperCD domain name. Oops. See Broadbridge Media, L.L.C. v. Hypercd.com (2000)). Anyhoo, here's an archived list of HyperCD releases as of July 9, 2001: http://www.broadbridgemedia.net/partners.html. Maybe there's a few on your shelves right now?

The HyperCD bonus content on this particular disc was apparently the video for the song Breathless. I couldn't get the thing to play on my desktop, but I didn't put in much effort because the video is readily available on YouTube if ya need it.

Thanks to longtime friend o' the blog Dirk Digglinator for alerting me to the existence of the HyperCD format. Go raibh míle maith agat! ☘

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Forgiven, Not Forgotten (1995)

The Corrs - Forgiven, Not Forgotten (1995)

The Corrs are a sibling pop band from Ireland; this was their debut album. I've heard the group's music described as "Celtic Pop" but I think that description is somewhat off the mark. Adding traditional instruments (tin whistle, fiddle, bodhrán) for an Irish twist to mid-tempo adult contemporary songs, the group dented the US charts, but were far more successful overseas. As is common with siblings, the vocal harmonies blend together beautifully. For this album, the group worked with producer David Foster, so I like the overall sound of the album (it's not a stretch to compare the sound to Chicago 16 with a fiddle taking the place of the horn section). There are a few traditional Irish tunes (Erin Shore, The Minstrel Boy) that seem to have been added to remind the listener that this family is Irish, but they perfectly showcase the talents of violinist Sharon Corr. This CD doesn't get as much playing time around here as it did when it was first released, but it's a solid AC release. Even so, I've never heard any subsequent releases by the band.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #131

Tracks:  It's all harmless but enjoyable soft rock. My top songs are the title track, Someday, Runaway, Secret Life, and the instrumental Toss The Feathers. The reggae bounce of The Right Time doesn't quite fit.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD:  I can't remember if I bought this album because the single Runaway got a lot of airplay on Houston radio or because I caught the band promoting the album on The Today Show. Aww, who am I fooling? I bought it because The Corrs were the New Year's Eve headline act at The Peach Pit After Dark.