The Corrs: Andrea Corr (vocals, tin whistle); Sharon Corr (vocals, violin); Jim Corr (vocals, guitar, keyboards, programming); Caroline Corr (vocals, drums, Bodhran).

Additional personnel: Michael Thompson (guitar); David Foster (keyboards); Neil Steubenhaus, Tal Herzberg (bass); Simon Phillips (drums); Noel Eccles, Des Reynolds (Celtic drums); Simon Franglen (programming).

All songs written by The Corrs except "Someday" (D. Foster/The Corrs).

Released on the heels of the Corrs' tour with Celine Dion and their appearance at the Olympic Games, 1995's FORGIVEN, NOT FORGOTTEN blends wistful Celtic motifs, slick production, layered harmonies, and adult-contemporary songcraft into a sound that won the Irish group instant international favor. The siblings' real achievement here is their balance of moody Top 40 melodies with traditional Celtic elements--Andrea, Caroline, and Sharon Corr play tin whistle, bodhran, and violin, respectively.

Though "Erin Shore (Traditional Intro)," the album's instrumental opener, sounds like an old-school Irish ballad, the song quickly segues into the pulsing title track--a dramatic, minor-key pop tune with a chorus fleshed out by the lovely harmonies of the Corr sisters. The group's Celtic roots are evident in quick, melodic phrases throughout, and on the occasional instrumental (the bodhran-driven "Carraroe Jig"), but the Corrs go better with MTV than a glass of Guinness, as the bright, hook-driven rock of "Someday" or the power ballad "Closer" attest. FORGIVEN, NOT FORGOTTEN's multi-platinum status speaks to the appeal of the Corrs' rootsy, yet highly accessible, formula.

What the critics say...

Dirty Linen (2-3/96, p.75) - "This Irish family band's sound is a slightly trad-inluenced version of slick pop-vocal groups like Wilson Phillips...the songs are interspersed with snippets of trad tunes, but this is much more of a commercial pop recording than a folky one."