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It's been a long wait for the solo debut from Irish icon Dolores O'Riordan. After all, the Cranberries issued their swan
song in 2001. After their breakup, O'Riordan collaborated with Germany's Jam and Spoon, Italy's Zucchero, and David Lynch
composer Angelo Badalamenti. She also appeared, as herself, in the 2006 comedy Click. All the while, she toiled away on her
first solo effort. Fortunately, good things come to those who wait. Co-produced by Youth (the Verve, U2), Are You Listening?
is a throwback to 1980s-era Siouxsie and the Banshees and Sinead O'Connor--sweeping keyboards, forceful drumming, and muscular
guitar work. It may seem like a melodramatic move, but the music never overwhelms the slight yet steely figure at the center
of the maelstrom, particularly on the lilting "Ordinary Day" and haunting "Black Widow." Cranberries fans expecting something
more demure may be taken aback, but O'Riordan's supple voice should win over most skeptics. And lyrically, she compensates
with tender words inspired by her husband ("Apple of My Eye"), the death of her mother-in-law ("Black Widow"), and the birth
of her youngest child ("Ordinary Day"). --Kathleen C. Fennessy
About the Artist
Dolores O'Riordan - songstress,
smoldering icon and critically acclaimed voice of The Cranberries - is back. Her first-ever solo LP Are You Listening? is
released on Sanctuary Records, May 15th and features the stunning new single "Ordinary Day." Co-produced by Youth, Dan Broadbeck
and engineered by Rich Chycki, the eagerly anticipated album is a 12-track tour de force and marks her first release in four
years.
Written and recorded between her homes in Canada and Dublin, the album is a striking return to form, punctuated
with angular chords and that crystalline voice. Folk-tinged, electric and deftly powerful, it's also a relentlessly melodic
success. "My time after The Cranberries was a clean slate - no pressure and no contracts," Dolores enthuses. "It was the first
time in my life I was a free agent. I had no inhibitions, which is how I felt when I first started out. That's all visible
here."
Two of the tracks - "Apple of My Eye" and the forthcoming single "Ordinary Day" - were produced by BRIT
Award winner, Youth, whose previous credits include The Verve, Embrace, Primal Scream, U2 and Paul McCartney. "He certainly
brought his own vision to the table and softened the tracks without affecting their integrity or passion."
Ultimately,
the CD was a process inspired by personal experiences, both light and dark. "My mother-in-law died of cancer shortly after
I left The Cranberries, which was devastating. It was like watching a beast attack from the inside out, so the song "Black
Widow" is a metaphor inspired by that. At the other end of the spectrum "Apple Of My Eye" was written about my husband and
"Ordinary Day" reflects the birth of my third baby, Dakota."
Other album highlights include the hypnotic "In the
Garden," with its shimmering guitar-rock crescendo, the delicateness of "Watch the Stars," and "Loser," which bristles with
loops, layered vocals and an instant, razor-sharp hook. "It was a very organic, natural experience." Dolores adds, "I play
guitar and have four fantastic musicians...a great bass player, a stellar drummer and an immaculate guitarist. Once the first
7 songs were penned, we went into the studio and recorded them first. We didn't rush it. In total, the writing and recording
was a four-year period."
"The album was an awakening for me in my life - a journey that I completed. It's like
I crossed a bridge, which is a great new plateau to be on. My life is so different to how it was 10 years ago and there's
a great sense of acceptance. It's a very exciting time to be releasing music again too. Song-writing is truly coming back."
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