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June 6, 2007
By Lara de Matos
David Gresham
Rating: **
Hers was the distinct melancholic lilt that set The Cranberries apart from their alternative-rock compatriots and ultimately catapulted the band into mainstream success.
Now, more than a decade after their hit album, No Need Argue, was released and four years since the group all went their separate ways, lead singer, Dolores O’Riordan, has gone solo.
But be warned: if you’re expecting the same kind of brilliance she brought us during her Cranberries days, you’re bound to be disappointed. The Irish folk-like melodies that defined the group are still very much a feature of Dolores’s solo sound, and that’s part of the problem: if you’re going to go it alone, it’s generally a given that you should make an effort to separate yourself from the kind of material you were producing while with the band, otherwise it’s a pretty pointless endeavour.
And if you were hoping that the lyrics would afford some sort of, er, Salvation - don’t hold your breath . With words that read: “And with my heart in my hand, and with my hand upon my heart”, the album is one long stretch of cringe-worthy clich?©s.
It’s hard to believe this is the same woman who wrote the lyrics for Linger, which was one of the band’s most popular tunes ?€¦
Clearly this Cranberry is all out of juice!