Cranberries - In the End

  by Dave Goodwin

published: 14 / 5 / 2019

---

Review

With all the sad passings of many a musical icon, I wonder how many remember where they were when they heard of the death of Dolores O'Riordan? John Lennon, Marvin Gaye, Buddy Holly, Bowie? Such huge icons of the music industry and role models for millions. I remember it was a Monday. I was at work and found out through sifting through my phone where there was a 'Breaking News' flash on the display. I felt an instant sadness and disbelief. She was just 46, and it transpired that she was found in a hotel room in Mayfair in London. Born in Ballybricken, County Limerick in Ireland, she was lead singer of the Cranberries, but each one of the other members, brothers Mike (bass) and Noel (guitar) Hogan and drummer Fergal Lawler were equal parts in a band that defined a unique sound that exploded out of 90’s Britpop. Originally the Hogan brothers formed The Cranberry Saw Us with singer Niall Quinn, and in less than a year Quinn had left the band. Dolores answered an ad for a female singer from the band, and the rest is history. The principal component that made the Cranberries stand out from the norm was Dolores' voice. It was a truly unique mezzo-soprano instrument that she used in conjunction with Keening which is a traditional lament for the dead and literally means to weep or to cry. It was described by ‘Melody Maker’ as “a saint’s voice trapped in a glass harp.” ‘In the End’ is the culmination of the Cranberries’ studio output which spawned seven other previous albums before it. It comes as a sort of celebration of Dolores. It will be the last album from the Cranberries and is based on recordings of Dolores before she passed away. The band wanted to honour the life of their lead singer so they, with the support of her family, completed this final offering with the help of Stephen Street who produced four of their previous albums. There are eleven songs on this album, all of which are the Cranberries and Dolores through and through. ‘All Over Now’, the opener, is typical of the Cranberries ‘sound as is ‘Wake Me When It’s All Over’. In fact they are all just typical and that’s what makes this one of the best Cranberries albums ever. The last and title track for the record is the jewel in what can only be described to Cranberries fans as a wonderful tribute to Dolores O'Riordan. More than that If, like me, you craved a drink of Cranberries this is a must buy, a massive testament and a marvellous piece of music to add to a sublime back catalogue of one of the most influential bands in modern music history.

Track Listing:-

1 All Over Now
2 Lost
3 Wake Me When It's Over
4 A Place I Know
5 Catch Me If You Can
6 Got It
7 Illusion
8 Crazy Heart
9 Summer Song
10 The Pressure
11 In the End

Band Links:-

https://www.cranberries.com/
https://www.facebook.com/TheCranberrie
https://twitter.com/The_Cranberries

Label Links:-

http://www.islandrecords.co.uk/
https://twitter.com/islandrecordsuk/
https://www.youtube.com/user/islandrec
https://www.facebook.com/IslandRecords
https://instagram.com/islandrecordsuk/