In Blue

by Steven McDonald

A very straightforward release from the Corrs, who spend the majority of this outing in full-blown pop mode, with the Celtic elements mostly being relegated to the backgrounds of several songs. The one exception is the closing instrumental, "Rebel Heart," which stirs itself up full-bloodily to provide the album with an anthem. In Blue is a bright, peppy set that bears more than a few comparisons to the work of bands such as the Bangles and Fanny, though the Corrs have an additional advantage in that Caroline Corr is an impressively muscular drummer. The CD includes a HyperCD section with a video for "Breathless" and various web links.