Corrs Mix Casual Persona With Inspiring Celtic Sound

The Corrs make light, romantic pop, but because these four siblings from Dundalk, Ireland, have built their modern pop sounds on a foundation of ancient Celtic balladry, they are able to be slick without being soulless. None of it is yet in the league of Van Morrison or U2, but the Corrs at least understand the importance of retaining some personal flavor in their music. That point was made at the House of Blues on Sunday, where the hyper-smooth production values of the Corrs’ most recent recordings gave way to a richer, folk-based sound.

Their Irish-ness is sometimes incidental to the ‘90s pop hits that have made the Corrs hugely successful in the U.K. and Europe. But it was when the band (supplemented on Sunday by a touring guitarist and bassist) played folk-based music that the crowd was inspired to clap along to the beats of drummer Caroline Corr.

The blend of old and new worked best during the likes of “Forgiven, Not Forgotten” and “Runaway,” mingling brother Jim’s acoustic guitar with Sharon’s fiddle and singer Andrea’s tin whistle. Though Andrea is the lead vocalist, each of the Corrs took turns at the microphone. At mid-show, Sharon warmly sang the old love ballad “No Frontiers,” sweetly harmonizing with Caroline.

Despite the massive popularity they now enjoy outside the U.S., the Corrs retain an easy, almost casual manner on stage. As he sat behind a piano for a solo vocal, Jim Corr joked with a crowd heavily populated by Irish expatriates. “Hey you, talking in the back! I practiced for two weeks, so you can shut up!”