Dolores O'Riordan's sing-song delivery and histrionics wear thin fast; couple those qualities with lyrics that rely on labored rhymes ("Fill the room with empty stares/ Go to bed and say my prayers") and strictly formulaic arrangements, and you've got a textbook recipe for the making of a bad record. Which of course doesn't mean we won't hear these songs played ad nauseum on the radio -- the single "Promises" (RealAudio excerpt) is already being pushed hard on modern rock stations, and other tracks almost certainly will follow.
The band's three year hiatus (begun with the abrupt termination of an international tour in support of To the Faithful Departed) has left the group with "fire in their eyes," according to a record label honcho. Unfortunately, that fire appears also to have incinerated O'Riordan's songwriting abilities.
To be fair, Noel Hogan's jangly hook-heavy guitar work is pleasant enough, and the rest of the band (bass player Mike Hogan and drummer Fergal Lawler) are competent. But then O'Riordan chimes in, and the whole thing falls as flat as a soufflé gone bad. Adequate musicianship can't redeem songs like "Loud and Clear" (RealAudio excerpt), which opens with a flourish only to immediately plunge into the vocal abyss. O'Riordan sings bitter lines ("I hope that you're sorry/ For not accepting me/ For not adoring me/ That's why I'm not your wife") with an oddly perky delivery.
Overwrought production only makes things worse. Overdubs ensure that we get O'Riordan harmonizing with herself all over the place. "Promises" tries hard to let loose and get down, but there's no danger of that actually happening. For the most part, the Cranberries seem to have given up on any effort to rawk, relying instead on the gentle pop melodies that made them nearly listenable in the first place. Unfortunately, O'Riordan's keening, gasping and constant complaining gets wedged between the band and the listener's ear.