Corrs for concern: Another award

OK, perhaps it's unfair to judge this particular book by its Enid Blyton cover. Maybe they're really a team of ruthless gangsters who are using the music as a front for their more sinister activities.

Anyway, moving swiftly on.

Before the rapid dissection of In Blue - the follow-up to Talk On Corners - begins, let's hear it from the horses' mouths.

"Every band says their latest record is the best, but I really believe it," says Andrea. "It's who we are and we're really proud of it....it reflects how we've progressed and what we've learned."

Over to Jim: "I suppose there are a lot of different vibes...I think a few people are going to be surprised by that."

Excuse me? Time for a reality check.

The first rule of Corrs law is always to expect the expected.

Watered-down

With the exception of the radio-friendly Radio, all the up-tempo numbers are sugary, lost-love, found-love tales with the band subliminally announcing: "Tonight, Matthew, we're going to be watered-down Fleetwood Mac."

New single Breathless chugs along at Blondie pace before petering out into a wailing imitation of Dolores O'Riordan, while Irresistible announces: "You're irresistible - natural, physical" - looks like the Ivor Novello's on hold for another year, then.

But enough of this cruelty, when The Corrs decide to slow things down a bit, they have got a couple of decent songs up their sleeves.

One Night could have almost been written by The Carpenters and the groovy All In A Day is a lilting lullaby with the best trad Irish middle eight they've managed to date.

The instrumental conclusion that is Rebel Heart also brings a little timely light relief, but there's far too many cracks here and not nearly enough paper.

Andrea might think she's fooling everyone by wearing a New York Dolls T-shirt on the cover, but the bigger picture tells a different story.

And after all, they've managed to earn a few quid by playing it straight so far, so good luck to them.

One question, though. If all these millions of people have bought a Corrs record, how come I've never met anyone who admits to actually owning one?