Forgiven Not Forgotten album review
01. Erin Shore (Traditional intro)
02. Forgiven Not Forgotten
03. Heaven Knows
04. Along With The Girls (Instrumental)
05. Someday
06. Runaway
07. The Right Time
08. The Minstrel Boy (Instrumental)
09. Toss The Feathers (Instrumental)
10. Love To Love You
11. Secret Life
12. Carraroe Jig (Instrumental)
13. Closer
14. Leave Me Alone
15. Erin Shore (Instrumental)
This is the band's first album and it was in fact written in a period of five years. It's a brilliant collection of original tracks that blend traditional Irish music with modern pop-rock and THAT, my dear hardcorr fans is the unique sound of The Corrs. The lyrical themes are mainly about love, the hurt of loving but it does have happy themes like the desire to fully live life.
Erin Shore
This is violin only, very beautiful indeed and you can also hear softly the piano in the background. Well, the thing is when you listen to this short instrumental piece you realize that this is no ordinary band but a band who writes real music.
Forgiven Not Forgotten
This song is about pain and hurt, hurt because what he has done can't be undone. She hurts because he committed suicide and left her all alone. The song begins very softly with the violin and the bodhran preparing the stage for Andrea's beautiful voice. Then suddenly, Caroline and Jim take over on the drums and on the electric guitar and that's where you really feel the drama of the song. The passion Andrea puts in could almost make you cry, because she almost does. You can feel her pain as she tells this tragic story. The tale goes on and the girl thinks of following her lover in death, but finally lets him go telling him that she has forgiven but never forgotten him.
Heaven Knows
Well, this track has in my opinion a very rocky sound - those drums mixed with Sharon's violin make the song sound as a storm, a storm of instruments and voices. The message is about love, lost love. She was dumped. He left her for another girl and she wants him back. It' a hopeful sadness and almost seeing that girl in so much pain makes you wonder... is he worth of it? She thinks so "oh, please come back to me", begging him to turn away from the other girl "send her away to her grieving".The outstanding part of the song is the end then she finally lets go off all her feelings and her pain. She tries to keep hoping but no good ...
Along With The Girls
It's a lovely and simple song. Violin, bodhran and tin whistle. Nothing more, nothing less. It's such a great song after a hard day's work because it has a calming effect.
Someday
This is different, it's heavier than the other songs. Jim's guitar is the one that really builds this song's beat. From the way the story is told you can't really say who left who but I guess it was a mutual agreement. But that doesn't mean she's not upset and after reconsidering the facts she wants him back. But what's the point? The past is the past and nothing can be done. As I said before, Jim is the one dominating this song but Sharon's violin and Caroline's drums keep the song going. The outstanding part of the song is the blend of voices that lighten up the heaviness of the song.
Runaway
Now this is truly one of the best songs ever written. It's art, the lyrics and the music ... pure art. Live, it's heavenly. Listening to the guitar and the drums and last but definitely not least the piano which brings forth the fantasizing, the dreaming the desire of love ... it's unreal. You can't not feel shivers down the back. Still, Sharon's the one holding the high note proving once more that she really is the queen of strings. It's about a girl yearning for love, and wanting love so much that ultimately it comes true. Andrea's voice is stunningly clear and profound and she could really fit in this girl's story. There are no words to describe the beauty of this song because music and especially The Corrs's music is about the feeling you get down deep when you listen to it.
The Right Time
This sounds like a "not written by Andrea" song, it's too full of life and too happy. I think that the lyrics are Sharon's or Caroline's because they are the ones with a light perspective on life. It's about that time in life where one is totally and completely happy and content with his own life. Even if Sharon weren't the main writer of the song she really does shine here. The way the violin underlines the chorus is great. It's almost like an Irish jig only with words. Actually the whole rhythm of the song makes you want to get up and dance along. It's a total harmony, harmony of instruments, harmony of voices, harmony in life. It's flawless ...
The Minstrel Boy
This is more of a mourning song, so soft and so hurtful. It's that strange effect that Sharon's violin has on people. This is truly her time to shine even though Jim really adds to the song with his piano skills.
Toss The Feathers
You want to hear dance music? Well this is it. Forget about house or rap and listen to one of the finest traditional tracks ever composed. It's a stunning instrumental piece. It has the most impressive upbeat but still performed live it's flawless. After hearing 'Toss The Feathers' all you can say is "this is genuine talent!!!" . It basically gives all four of them the chance to shine and seeing them perform this live it's a treat. Have you ever seen the way Sharon, Andrea and Jim gather to the same microphone or Caroline's solo (now there's a "must see it" ). By the end you are wondering how in the world did Sharon manage to keep that rhythm on that magnificent fiddle, or if Andrea is out of breath or if Caroline still has some strength left in her arms, or if Jim could put more heart when he's playing. As someone once said, you could almost see the Riverdance troupe jigging along.
Love To Love You
This is more of a pop tune than a traditional one. But it's The Corrs that sing it so it's got to have something special. It's about unrequited love. She sees him as a friend and she constantly has to remind him that it's all he is to her. Still, at the beginning she was attracted to him but she changed her mind (or the other fella did). But his love is still there and still strong, and she would love to love him but she's already committed to someone else. You can sense a bit of craving from her part, craving for pure love ...
Secret Life
Just like Someday this is a very heavy song, with Jim on the electric guitar but really lightened up by Sharon's violin. And the drums' beat!!! Wow! The lyrical theme is a bit weird. It's about philosophy, religion, etc. A very difficult song to fully understand . Carraroe Jig (Live - Joy Of Life)
The album version is too short and too common but the whole version 'Joy Of life' performed live it just leaves you ... breathless LOL. It gives all four of them the chance to shine. The violin, the tin whistle (clearer here than on most of the other instrumentals) the bodhran, and the guitar, it's all there! It's hard to believe but you can actually see 30 000 people dancing on Irish music. Try to imagine this!!!
Closer
This is probably one of the softest ballads ever written by the band. The piano tunes are simply beautiful but the guitar really leads the song to a dramatic ending. She sees him every day and ultimately she falls for him. All she's doing now is thinking of him. She tries to convince herself to reach out to him but she just hasn't got the nerve. She knows that behind that melancholic exterior she will find love and she could make him happy if only she would let go of her inhibitions ...
Leave Me Alone
He's a guy who probably loves her but he's to obsessive about this poor girl, and all she really wants is to break free. But does she have the courage, or is she just fantasizing about freedom? This is Jim's time to shine, though Sharon and Caroline have some small solos. Now, about the lyrics ... they don't sound like they're someone's in particular (they're not as melancholic as Andrea's nor as cheerful as Sharon's). I think it's just a creation of the whole band.
Erin Shore (whole version)
Now THIS is real music. It's the last track of this album but the finest. It contains all of the themes in 'Forgiven Not Forgotten' and all the four Corrs get a chance to prove their skills. It's a magnificent instrumental piece. It starts very softly just with Sharon's violin and then that mysterious beat of the bodhran gently mixing with the tin whistle and the acoustic guitar. The Celtic drums really lead the song to a dramatic climax right before the end. This song really adds up the whole feel of the album and they don't even have to sing a word. Irish to the core, these Corrs ... LOL
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