The Corrs had a very good 1990s. The Irish family band’s fusion of Celtic folk and soppy soft rock led to them producing the bestselling album of 1998, winning a Brit award and enjoying a string of Top 10 singles. But even in their hey-day, the Corrs felt staid – two decades later, their melodious output feels positively antique. Having staged a comeback in 2015 with White Light, which saw them fold upbeat dance influences into their Radio 2-friendly fare, this seventh album sees the band return to leisurely balladry and traditional instrumentation with a vengeance. Jupiter Calling occasionally borrows from the pleasant sophisti-pop popular in the Corrs’ prime, but the record largely consists of a solidly orthodox melange of fingerpicked guitars, mournful piano and Andrea Corr’s still exquisite vocals. The band play it safe lyrically too: despite claiming this album features their most “politically outspoken” song ever, SOS, it turns out to be one of the vaguest and least contentious tracks ever committed to tape.
