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Elusive U.S. success now seems within Irish family band's grasp, with high chart debut of In Blue.
They're huge pop stars everywhere else.
But Irish quartet the Corrs — singing siblings Andrea (lead vocals),
Caroline (drums), Jim (keyboards, guitar) and Sharon (violin) — only recently
have showed signs of breaking big in the United States, debuting at #21
on the Billboard 200 albums chart three weeks ago with In Blue.
"It's our third record ... but it's the first time we've charted properly here," Caroline Corr said. "We couldn't believe it. We were like, 'Wow!' "
"We did spend a lot of time on this record. We didn't want to walk away
feeling that we hadn't done our best." — Caroline Corr, Corrs drummer
"It's a huge market," Jim Corr said of the United States. "And radio
is king: If they refuse to play you, then people are not going to know
you're out there. But certainly we're getting radio play on the first single,
'Breathless,' to an extent we've never had before."
The family band formed 10 years ago to audition for the Alan Parker
film "The Commitments," and their grueling tour schedule looks as if it
has finally paid off, in the form of the much-coveted American radio airplay.
The impressive Billboard debut of In Blue and the glossy "Breathless"
(RealAudio excerpt), with its Nigel Dick-directed video, are leaving new
U.S. fans panting for more of the impossibly glamorous family. And with
that comes the radio airplay to back it up.
"We're seeing some good early reaction on this record from our listeners,"
WPLJ-NY music director Tony Mascaro said. "This could be the one that breaks
this band here."
The Corrs' previous release, 1999's Talk on Corners: Special Edition,
seemed poised to catapult the siblings to U.S. success. But it tanked,
despite critical acclaim and extensive television promotion.
"At the time we were a bit disappointed, but we were also caught up
[with our] huge success in the UK," Caroline said. "So that kind of made
up for the fact that it didn't quite happen here."
The U.S. market was the last uncharted territory for the ambitious and
hardworking siblings, who've crisscrossed the globe several times supporting
their previous albums, which include 1996's Forgiven, Not Forgotten.
The apparent success of In Blue comes as no surprise to the Corrs. "It
just takes time," Jim said. "But we knew early on that we had a broad appeal.
[Even] when we first toured, the audience was literally age 8 to age 80."
Caroline tried to explain why In Blue stands out from the pack. "We've
always written pop records," she said. "I just think maybe our songwriting
has progressed. We did spend a lot of time on this record. We didn't want
to walk away feeling that we hadn't done our best."
"I think that as we mature our songwriting naturally evolves," Jim said.
"We're lucky that all four of us write, so there's no pressure on one individual
to keep coming up with the goods. With experience, you learn your craft
better, and it should get easier. But once the initial inspiration is over,
it turns into work, and that's how it is for every artist."
Jim attributes the band's worldwide success not to luck, but to perseverance.
"We know our individual roles. At the end of the day, it's like a melting
pot of ideas: We all try to contribute to the end product." And that level
of commitment comes hard-won from years in the studio and on the road,
perfecting their craft.
"I don't know how you feel about the domination of the charts by people
who don't play instruments or write their own music, but it's a little
bit shocking," Jim continued. "And it's a little bit disappointing. I don't
think it's going to stay that way. We believe and we hope that [radio]
will come back to being a platform for people who write music, perform
and play instruments."
— Correspondent Erin Franzman