Congratulations to Caroline Corr and husband Frank Woods on the arrival minutes before Valentine's Day of their first child, a boy, who weighed in at a compact 7lbs.

The baby drummer has yet to be named, but is said to be slapping out some very tasty rhythms on the side of his cot.

Meanwhile, Hot Press has learned that the follow-up to In Blue is likely to hit the racks in October, with a single preceding it a few weeks earlier.

Says our studio spy: "Already three tracks have been completed with Sheryl Crow producer Bill Bottrell, and another ten songs have been put in the can by the band themselves. A number of additional songs will be recorded a little later in the spring, before the final mixing and selection of tracks takes place. Another name producer is likely to be drafted in for this next stage of recording, with a view to completing the album sometime in August."

Talking of Sheryl Crow, Corrs completists will want to track down a copy of Sheryl Crow: Live At The Budokan, a Japanese-only release which hits the racks in mid-March.

The band are featured on a studio bonus cut, 'C'Mon, C'Mon', which was recorded by the American on her own and then sent to The Corrs for vocal overdubbing.