Send "Dolores O'Riordan " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Sputnikmusic |
 Summary: No Baggage doesn't quite match the brilliance of The Cranberries' early successes, but it is a solid album in its own right.In the eight years that separated the release of Everybody Else Is Doing It… and Wake Up and Smell the Coffee, The Cranberries had completely transformed as a band. By the beginning of the group's hiatus in 2003, vocalist Dolores O'Riordan had assumed her role as The Cranberries' primary songwriter, and the band's streamlined pop-rock didn't resemble their older laidback alternative sound in the least. That isn't to say their later efforts were poor – they weren't. But at the same time they weren't nearly as captivating as either Everybody Else Is Doing It… or No Need to Argue. Are You Listening? saw O'Riordan strike out on her own for the first time, and while it slightly mirrored latter day Cranberries albums in composition, it just felt…different. As good as songs like "Ordinary Day", "October", and "In the Garden" were, parts of Are You Listening? sounded somewhat difficult or even awkward, and gave the impression that O'Riordan wasn't exactly sure which direction to take her craft. Chalk it up to the complete absence of Cranberries' guitarist and co-writer Noel Hogan from the song writing process, or perhaps a little indecisiveness, but for all its strengths the record lacked the nostalgic edge of O'Riordan's past works. No Baggage sees O'Riordan address some of these problems; not only is the album uplifting than Are You Listening?, it's also far more confident sounding, an improvement that can be heard in the reworked "Apple of My Eye". From opening track "Switch Off the Moment" and first single "The Journey", it becomes clear that No Baggage's Dolores O'Riordan isn't quite the Dolores O'Riordan we grew up listening to – the nostalgic feeling is still nowhere to be found, and her music isn't quite as evocative as it once was. However, No Baggage still espouses many of the characteristics that have become synonymous with O'Riordan's music; most distinct of all is her diverse singing style, of course, and barring the awkward sounding whispers in the verses of "Switch Off the Moment" and "Be Careful", her signature soaring vocal deliveries are often her greatest strength. On the opposite side of the spectrum is O'Riordan's questionable lyrical output, which has been slipping since The Cranberries' third record, To the Faithful Departed. Lines such as "You can't outrun / your skele-ton" from "Skeleton" and "Some mental anguish in my head / wake me up I am not dead" from "Switch off the Moment" are as confusing as they are cringe worthy, and the repetition in "Throw Your Arms Around Me" is rather ineffective and needless. Of course, it doesn't help at all that these quirks stand out so much when listening....full text |
| Wearsthetrousers. |
| Best known as the voice of ’90s mavericks The Cranberries, Dolores O’Riordan returns with a second solo set that bears all the hallmarks of the sound she carved out on 2007’s Are You Listening?, but also incorporates some interesting new flourishes. Naturally, O’Riordan’s solo work shares a number of similarities with that of her former band, not least her haunting vocal style and sometimes head-scratching lyrics. But No Baggage, billed as her most personal collection of songs since The Cranberries’ 1994 opus No Need to Argue, occasionally messes with the tried-and-tested formula of anthemic guitars and plaintive vocals in the verses giving way to propellant performances in the choruses. Indeed, few of the old ways are immediately apparent on catchy opener ‘Switch Off The Moment’, which finds O’Riordan singing of “mental anguish in my head” over sparse, funky-ish guitars before a chiming chorus that marries epic guitars to a lovely vocal performance, her pleasant multi-tracked harmonies and an interesting rhythmic change in the song’s bridge setting the tone for the songs to follow. ‘Skeleton’ is perhaps less memorable, with chugging guitars and a simple structure, and ‘It’s You’, while certainly pretty, is unremarkable. Still, it boasts a classic slow-burning stadium rock arrangement with clear, strong production as O’Riordan reminisces about “planting seeds, pulling weeds.” Lead single ‘The Journey’ is less conventional, adopting an almost exotic percussion influence, but a comparatively quirky arrangement cannot mask a song that is essentially rather weak and dated. ‘Stupid’ is more successful, with O’Riordan’s beautiful vocals highlighting the spacious, atmospheric piano-based arrangement. ‘Be Careful’, despite its trite “be careful what you wish for” theme, is also an attractive swirl of shimmering guitars. The gorgeous choruses return for ‘Throw Your Arms Around Me’, a strange little song whose Eastern introduction recalls Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Caroline’ from 1987’s Tango In The Night. This song, more than most, resonates with the chiming beauty of The Cranberries’ better material....full text |
| Independent |
| The title presumablymeans she's left her tanksand her bombs behind.Small mercies. But theyodelling harridan whomade The Cranberriesinto one of Ireland's mostirritating exports hasn'tchanged her ways. Thehorrible autopilot poprockjangling whichdefines all of No Baggageexists merely as a backdropfor her caterwauling.Not just any caterwauling,mind, but caterwaulingthe Hallmark platitudes ofthe chronically un-bright:"Life/ It's a wonderfulride/ It's a difficult ride/An unpredictable ride" isnot atypical....full text |
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