SOUND OF A GENERATION
Cranberries singer dead at 46
The Cranberries’ Dolores O’Riordan, who died yesterday of undisclosed causes at 46, was the rarest of ’90s characters: an amazing songwriter unconcerned with the trappings of category.
The rock ’n’ roll of her decade, the 1990s, tended toward monolithic sounds, sounds without subtlety, that became insufferable as they passed from year to year. The force of grunge trudged into the ridiculous as it went from Pearl Jam to Candlebox to Creed. The fun of punk bounced into parody from Green Day to the Offspring to Good Charlotte.
But the Cranberries, one of the ’90s biggest bands, escaped getting caught up in the decade’s genre ghettos. O’Riordan’s Irish band wasn’t grunge or punk, Brit pop or jangle pop — but they could easily dip into any of these sounds when it suited them.
As an Irish rock band, the Cranberries were constantly compared with U2 — not a ridiculous comparison — but a quick trip through O’Riordan’s catalog proves her a unique talent.
Obviously listeners first noticed her voice, that iconic coo and cry that made every lyric sound like a mystic vision or Celtic spirit hymn. However, it’s her songs that carry most of the band’s magic.
From the start, 1992’s “Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?,” her band made albums that put crafty, catchy pop music beside dreamy, jagged rock drones — the LP’s one-two punch of the furry “Not Sorry” and smash hit “Linger” remains a rare feat. With each album O’Riordan increased her sonic explorations while never losing sight of the fact that the song matters most (see brilliant punk romp “Salvation” from 1996 or the dreamy “Animal Instinct” from 1999).
Along the way, the Cranberries nearly became the biggest band in the world. The group’s first three albums became staples in high school kids’ cars and college dorm rooms around the globe. Huge in their native country and across the United States, the band also topped the charts in Germany, New Zealand, Canada and Italy. In France, the group’s second album, “No Need to Argue,” has gone platinum an astonishing 10 times over.
One thing the Cranberries did have in common with their ’90s peers was a struggle to remain popular in the new millennium. Both with her band and on solo albums, O’Riordan failed to make much impact on the charts. But her writing chops never dulled, her voice never lost its glory. Go and find the smart, sharp tune “Be Careful” on her 2009 solo album, “No Baggage,” for proof.
O’Riordan will be remembered for so many songs and vocals, and live shows — look up the band’s killer performance of “Zombie” on “Saturday Night Live” from 1995. But she should also be remembered for sailing through a decade of reductive genres with her own clear, loud and sublime voice.