- Artist
- Dolores O'Riordan
- Label
- Sanctuary
- Release date
- 7th May 2007
- Genre
- Indie
Former Cranberries chanteuse’s debut solo effort disappoints with lack of signs of development
That O’Riordan’s former band The Cranberries only seemed to possess two modes – lush string-led pop (Linger) or stadium soft-rock bombast (Zombie) – contributed to the band’s withdrawal from worldwide fame and, arguably, their consequent break-up. Four years on, their lead singer, whose panicky warble and metamorphosing hairstyles made her a star, returns with a solo debut she has described as "an awakening", "a bridge" and "a journey". These singers, eh?
Which is strange for much of Are You Listening? is business as usual. O’Riordan flits between familiar, bland melancholic indie-folk (When We Were Young, October) and slightly doomier, power chord-soaked rock (In The Garden, Loser). Maturity and motherhood haven’t aided her lyrical shortcomings either. "I'm sick and tired of people like you, you think you're clever but you haven't a clue" is one of a slew of toe-curling couplets. Relief comes from recent single Ordinary Day and closer Ecstasy – gentler, acoustic-led tracks where O’Riordan's voice softens to a more pleasing, sensuous coo. Such moments point the way forward if we’re to keep on listening in the future.
More to try: Sinead O’Connor: I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got Tori Amos: Under The Pink The Cranberries: No Need To Argue
