If this ambitious, completist retrospective of Limerick, Ireland's most notable '90s musical export seems more befitting a rock dinosaur than a band whose résumé spans but four albums, it's perhaps a telling comment on both the...
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If this ambitious, completist retrospective of Limerick, Ireland's most notable '90s musical export seems more befitting a rock dinosaur than a band whose résumé spans but four albums, it's perhaps a telling comment on both the potency of the Cranberries' international success and the often treacherous vagaries of the contemporary music business. Though singer Dolores O'Riordan was a last-minute addition to the lineup, her unique vocal talents quickly came to virtually define the band, largely overshadowing founders Noel and Mike Hogan in the bargain. This set documents the band's rise from its debut, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Cant We? (and its sleeper hit "Linger"), through its artistic recapitulation, 1999's Bury the Hatchet, dedicating a disc to each album and offering up a generous selection of period-appropriate bonus tracks (mostly from B-sides, remixes, and other collections). But it's a rocky, cautionary road, especially after the band followed up its sublime No Need to Argue and breakout single "Zombie" with the turgid, modern-rock posturing of To the Faithful Departed, the band's ill-fated collaboration with Aerosmith producer Bruce Fairbairn; Cranberries, meet turkey. If that effort foolishly squandered the successes garnered by their guitar-driven "indie rock meets Celtic folk mysticism" charms, Hatchet returned them to their roots posthaste, but arguably too late. The bonus material is equally far ranging (and just as mixed)--from an embarrassing Pavarotti collaboration to decidedly left-field covers of the Carpenters' "Close to You" and Fleetwood Mac's "Go You Own Way," tracks that further underscore O'Riordan's singular abilities to interpret a song. It's an anthology that suggests that the Cranberries were considerably more than the sum of "Linger," "Zombie," "Salvation," "Ode to My Family," and their other standout songs--but also one that demonstrates how quickly much-touted alt-indie sensibilities can be disastrously co-opted. --Jerry McCulley
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