ida corr: one

Okay, so everyone who’s been clubbing or even poked their head outside their front door during the last year or so has probably heard ‘Let Me Think About It’, Ida Corr’s ubiquitous collaboration with Fedde Le Grand. And good fun it was too. So, has the Danish diva got anything else up her sleeve?

Actually, yes. Her new album One suggests that the success of ‘Let Me Think About It’ was not just a flash in the pan and there’s real talent lurking beneath those heavily produced vocals. All but one of the songs here was written by Corr and are infused with a decidedly funky jazz flavour, especially on songs like ‘Lonely Girl’ and the James Brown-inspired ‘Mr. JB’. The fact that they’re melodic tunes with thoughtful lyrics broadens the range of the album, making it a dance release that doesn’t easily fit into categories. It’s electro-pop, yes, but it’s also reminiscent of Saint Etienne in its dreamy, wistful sensibilities with a good dollop of 1970s funk thrown in for good measure. (For more songs of this type, keep an eye out for Corr’s band project SugaRush Beat Company, whose debut album is out in September.)

These influences aside, One is undoubtedly first and foremost a cracking dance album. ‘Hurry Up & Wait’ and the standout Jeff Rogers collaboration ‘Ride My Tempo’ would perk up even the dullest of evenings out. This is music designed to move, misbehave and drink mojitos to. There are places wehre the funk/electro fusion doesn’t quite add up though, particularly on ‘Country Girl’, a frankly quite strange mix of Dolly Parton and Primal Scream, complete with yee-has and a discordant ukulele. Some of the more tasteful tracks like ‘Hangover Time’ slip into middle of the road R&B – the domain currently ruled by Leona Lewis – which rather betrays Corr’s tale of alcoholism and despair.

Taken as a whole, One displays the talents of a singer-songwriter who is flexing her wings and allowing them to take her in different musical directions. A lush but not a showy singer, Corr’s voice blends seamlessly with the music and, at times, is even overshadowed by the tunes. Nevertheless, One is a unique collection of songs that belies its mainstream origins with layered melodies and quirky lyrics that required a second or third listen to appreciate properly. It’s the perfect soundtrack to rainy autumn nights out on the town. At least it’s dry on the dancefloor.

[Hed Kandi; August 26, 2008]

Written by: Amy Roe

Tags: ida corr, sugarush beat company

This entry was posted on Friday, August 15th, 2008 at 2:05 pm and is filed under albums & EPs, reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.