The Cranberries, In the End Review
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Formed in Ireland in 1989, The Cranberries were an Irish rock band that had a sound that was easily identifiable with its Celtic overtones. The Cranberries started to gain international attention in the early ’90s because of the bands sound, well-written tunes and the stunning voice of lead singer, Dolores O’Riordan. The band, guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan, and drummer Fergal Lawler, had seven successful albums, but the Cranberries came to a final end on January 15, 2018, when the 46-year-old O’Riordan was found dead of drowning in a London hotel room. The Cranberries were in the studio at the time and O’Riordan was working on the vocal tracks to what was intended to be the band’s latest album. Now, O’Riordan’s bandmates have decided to complete that album, which is titled, In The End. This will be the last album the band will release, which is in memory of Dolores O’Riordan. Hogan stated: “The Cranberries was the four of us. We don’t want to do this without Dolores. So, we’re going to leave it after this.”
Positives:
Well-written tunes, a band that has a unified sound, and a one-of-a-kind vocalist.
Bottom Line:
In the End contains eleven tracks of pure alternative rock magic. Each track is an adventure in creative guitar, thumping bass, rock steady drums, full keyboards and that special magic of O'Riordan’s voice. The vocals on In the End reveal that O’Riordan’s range, passion and personality where all still in top shape and of course her Irish accent that would come through too. The band played beautifully, the tracks sit well together with a nice variance in feels, tempos and musical settings. The Cranberries where a band, and that is exactly how this album sounds, like a band creating a collection of tunes together. In the End finds the band sounding like they did in the early 90's. The melodies are all memorable and O'Riordan's vocals are solid. In The End is a lasting credit to a band that had a truly unique sound and never lost their irrefutable Irish influence. O’Riordan was something special and we thank her band-mates and family members for releasing In the End, which is a beautiful tribute to a special vocalist. That's the short of it!