White Light (The Corrs album) explained

White Light
Type:Studio
Artist:The Corrs
Cover:WhiteLightAlbumCover1b.jpg
Released:27 November 2015
Recorded:May – October 2015
Length:47:54[1]
Label:East West Records
Prev Title:The Works
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White Light is The Corrs' sixth studio album, released on 27 November 2015 in Europe, excluding German-speaking countries, and released on 12 February 2016 in German-speaking countries.[2] Their first studio album in a decade, after 2005's Home, and their first of original material since 2004's Borrowed Heaven, the album marked their return to the music scene, peaking inside the Top 10 in Hungary, Ireland and Switzerland and reaching the Top 20 in 8 countries.

Background

The Corrs returned to the studio in May 2015 after a ten-year hiatus from music. Sharon told Vibe Magazine that it was Caroline who initiated the sessions saying: "I think she had been thinking about it for a while." before going on to state that "We had never said never, we are a family, we hadn’t broken up – that would be way too serious and catastrophic. She rang us all and we were all open to it.” The sessions were not initially publicized, as Sharon explained that "We did it all in a very organic way, completely under the radar. We told nobody about it and we just went into a studio in London. We all wrote stuff at home, brought it in and found out if we had any good ideas together. The magic was there immediately.”[3]

From their first session, "Ellis Island" and "Strange Romance" began convincing the siblings that they were on to something.[4] "Gerry's Reel" pays tribute to their father Gerry, who died during the production of the album at age 82. The Corrs performed together for the first time in 10 years at his funeral.[5] "Bring On The Night" was also written about his death and was also inspired from a book that Andrea had read, hence the lyrics "I read the book you read, tasted the words you said". "White Light", the title track, came to life after Andrea went to see the documentary Amy, about singer Amy Winehouse who died from a drug overdose at the age of 27, and became inspired from a Tony Bennett quote in the film. Bennett stated, "You've got to live long enough to learn how to live."[6]

Jim told Magic Radio that he believed this album was "probably the best album we've ever done. We are really proud of it and hope the fans love it just as much."

Release and promotion

On 19 October 2015, the lead single "Bring on the Night" was premiered worldwide for the very first time on BBC Radio 2.[7] The single was released as a digital download on 30 October 2015.[8] The Corrs official YouTube channel uploaded a lyric video for the song on 30 October 2015.[9] A music video was released on 11 November 2015.

The album debuted at number eleven on the UK Albums Chart, with 27,648 copies sold.[10] On 1 January 2016, the album was certified Gold by the BPI for sales in excess of 100,000 copies.

A European tour in support of the album took place in 2016.

Critical reception

White Light has received mixed reviews from critics. Neil Yeung of AllMusic rated 4/5 stars for the album, stating that "this collection sounds like they picked up immediately after their last album and not a return to the scene after a decade."

Charts

Year-end charts

Chart (2015)Position
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[12] 73
UK Albums (OCC)[13] 63

Notes and References

  1. Web site: White Light. Amazon.de. 13 December 2015.
  2. Web site: Album announcement . Official The Corrs Facebook page . 2015-09-18.
  3. News: Palmer. Jim. Sharon Corr interview: The Corrs return with new album White Light, single Bring on the Night and tour which comes to The O2 Arena in Greenwich. 20 November 2015. Newsshopper.co.uk. 6 November 2015.
  4. News: Corr sisters: We don't believe in Jim's 9/11 conspiracy theories. Belfasttelegraph.
  5. Web site: The Corrs reveal heartbreak after dad's death. Daily Mirror. 18 September 2015.
  6. Web site: White Light by The Corrs. Songfacts.com. 29 May 2022.
  7. Web site: BBC Radio 2 Premiere . BBC Radio 2 . 2015-10-19.
  8. Web site: Bring On The Night. Qobuz.com. 13 December 2015.
  9. The Corrs - Bring On The Night - lyric video. 30 October 2015. 13 December 2015. YouTube.
  10. News: Official Charts Analysis: Sales of 25 continue at a pace with 439,337 in its second week. Jones. Alan. 4 December 2015. Music Week. 4 December 2015. subscription .
  11. News: ザ・コアーズ > アルバム売上ランキング . The Corrs > Album sales ranking . 11 January 2015. Oricon. Japanese.
  12. Web site: Összesített album- és válogatáslemez-lista - 2015. 6 April 2016. Association of Hungarian Record Companies.
  13. Web site: End of Year Album Chart Top 100 - 2015. 12 March 2016. Official Charts Company.