Andrea Corr: Ten Feet High
Andrea Corr's debut album is less than impressive.
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Monday, 25, Jun 2007 01:17
Atlantic Records/Warner Bros Records, out June 25th.
In a nutshell.
Weak. Disappointing. Derivative.
What's it all about?
After the release of Home in 2005, The Corrs decided to go on hiatus. Whereas her siblings began to raise their families, Andrea Corr decided to forge ahead as a solo artist.
Through U2 frontman Bono she was introduced to producer Nelle Hooper, who she admired for his work with Bjork and Gwen Stefani.
Ten Feet High, comprising 11 tracks, is the result of this partnership, and as Corr says: "With this album I've written the story and Nelle has painted the picture."
"This isn't necessarily about showing the world the real me. It's just an album where I've had fun," she adds.
Who's it by
The Corrs' brand of summery pop froth provided the soundtrack to the late 90s and early 21st century, but Andrea Corr's debut solo album is a different beast.
While it has the charming voice of Corr throughout, it feels as if the project was far too producer-driven. The artist has said that she's thrilled with the results of her collaboration with Hooper, however.
As an example.
"Midday in the Underground, there's a teenaged girl." - Champagne From A Straw
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
Maybe as a guest, looking pretty whenever a camera zooms in on her, while others step up to claim their awards.
What the others say
"The production is top notch but at times you can't shake the feeling that the vocals just lack a little something." - Digital Spy.
"Andrea has delivered a quite impressive little debut album." - Daily Express.
So is it any good?
The final track on this album is entitled Ideal World, and in just such an idyll The Corrs would re-form and we would have been spared the pap that's on offer here.
Apart from the rom-com stylings of the title track that allow Andrea Corr's voice to rise to prominence and the up-tempo frippery of 24 Hours, the rest of this LP is a shoddy, thrown-together mix of sub-Dido warblings and poor man's electronica.
Andrea Corr as sleazy glam vixen just doesn't work, the worst offenders being Hello Boys and the crashing tedium of Anybody There.
She's taken a definite wrong turn since the halcyon days of Summer Sunshine and Breathless. Let's hope someone points her back in the right direction some day soon.
4/10
Lee Davis