Unplugged

Acoustic versions of the hit Irish sibling pop quartet's best, plus covers of R.E.M.'s 'Everybody Hurts', Jimi Hendrix's 'Little Wing' and Jimmy McCarty's 'No Frontiers', all recorded for MTV Unplugged & to be broadcast at the end of November, 1999. Produced by Mitchell Froom (Crowded House, Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello), mixed by Bob Clearmountain (Bruce Springsteen, Bryan Adams, David Bowie) and with string arrangements by Fiachra Trench (Van Morrison). 14 tracks total, also including versions of 'What Can I Do', 'So Young' and 'Forgiven, Not Forgotten'. 1999 release.

The Corrs sound comfortably at home on this orchestrally enhanced acoustic gig, recorded at Ardmore Studios outside Dublin in early October 1999. With only two studio albums to their credit, it may seem a bit early to go for an Unplugged rerun, but the inclusion of two new Corrs-penned songs and a trio of previously unheard covers, in addition to the live greatest hits, means there's something fresh to enjoy. An unplugged session also establishes clearly that the Corrs, in danger of being perceived as pop puppets, are a real band who play and sing beautifully and can deliver the goods live. Encouragingly, the two new songs, "Radio" and "At Your Side," are well up to the usual Corrs standard, while much of the already familiar material benefits from tasty arrangements--"What Can I Do" in particular works better than the dance-remix hit version. --Johnny Black