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The Corrs have always struck me as one of those mushy, middle-of-the-road acts that never really make an impression, except as a remarkably safe and inoffensive pop group. The band consists of three sisters and their brother, and in the past, their material usually consisted of pleasant offerings that attempted to please the whole family. There is nothing inherently wrong with this, but their desire for mass appeal often caused their albums to sound compromised, or lacking in a distinct personality. The albums I heard were as bland and syrupy as marzipan, so I presumed that the group would maintain some appeal with casual music fans, but not many others. Every band has a potential niche of their own, though, and “Home” indicates that the Corrs may very well have found theirs.
In some ways, “Home” might be to the Corrs what “Labour of Love” was to UB40. Before that album, UB40 had a small but dedicated fan base that seemed unlikely to grow beyond semi-cult status. Then, the band decided to record versions of already-known songs that were dear to their hearts, and the result was an album (eventually, a series of albums) that launched the band toward superstardom. In that sense, “Home” is the Corrs very own ‘labor of love.” The album consists of songs that were extracted from their parent’s songbook of traditional Irish songs. Every song but three has songwriting credited to “Traditional”, and any casual fan of traditional Irish music will recognize most of the songs here. Songs like “My Lagan Love,” “Spancill Hill” and “Moorlough Shore” have already been recorded dozens, if not hundreds, of times. The difference here is in the presentation. The Corrs maintain their conservative attitude toward arrangement, but in this case it suits this material brilliantly. Nobody will mistake them for the Chieftans, but their blend of traditional and contemporary instrumentation sounds fresh, and interpreted with a deep sense of familial love that lends credence to the relatively ‘modernized’ arrangements.
The faults of the album occur when they break with this pleasant formula. “Heart Like a Wheel” and “Old Town” sound totally out of place among the traditional ballads, while their version of Richard Thompson’s “Dimming of the Day” captures none of the desperate dysfunction that made his original recording (with wife Linda) so evocative and powerful. Another complaint lies in the vocal recording; singer Andrea Corr is miked so tightly that her inhalations are as loud as her exhortations, making her sound like an asthmatic with a three-pack-a-day habit. This is unnerving because once noticed, it became impossible for me to ignore her breathing technique. This is a shame, since the songs and arrangements are otherwise well produced, but it is also a shortcoming that can be easily corrected. Here’s hoping that the Corrs continue to stick close to “Home” and that future efforts correct these shortcomings, and expand on the best qualities of this collection.
Grade: 
 
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