The Cranberries orchestrate a comeback on Something Else

As one of Ireland's most successful bands ever, The Cranberries' legacy is assured. The Limerick band, who have released no new material since 2011's Roses, aren't vying for a contemporary audience, but their latest album is eminently listenable.

They decamped to the University of Limerick last year to record old tracks arranged for the Irish Chamber Orchestra, and most of these songs benefit from the additional orchestration, particularly the pacy Dreams and the swoonsome Linger, although the jagged edges that made Zombie a fiery classic are disappointingly blunted. Of their three new tracks, the winsome The Glory and the aching melancholy of Why? are most affecting, Dolores O'Riordan's voice as powerful and pure at 45 as it was at 18.

Mostly, however, this is a reminder that The Cranberries wrote some great songs in their time.

[ cranberries.com ]