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DVDfever.co.uk – Dolores ORiordan: No Baggage CD reviewElly Roberts reviews
Cooking Vinyl Records
- Released: August 2009
- Rating: 10/10
- Vote and comment on this album:View Comments
Ex-Cranberries chanteuse goes solo dazzling results!
The CD packshot rear photo shows the word Saviour tattooed onto Dolores ORiordans left arm.
So has No Baggage saved her career? Well, going solo hasnt harmed Texas Sharleen Spiteri, so we should expect the same results for the Irish songbird, right? Well, week commencing 7 September, its nowhere to be seen in the Top 40.Nevertheless, No Baggage is a resounding success: full of radio-friendly pop gems. In fact, this is a stunning album. Id go as far as to say, this a bit of a pop masterpiece, and big departure from her Cranberries days, as the title suggests. For whatever reason, she cant let go of her former band mates though (yes, confusing I know) and apparently announced a Crans reunion the very day of this release. Mh. No surprise really as theres three Crans playing on it.
With the Irish band splitting in 2002, Dolores Mary Eileen hasnt exactly rushed things, and its seriously paid off critically, but not commercially. She released single Ordinary Day in 2007 from album Are You Listening?, without much success.
Two things remain here her unique voice and even more unique phrasing, though some of the edgy rasp has diminished with age.
A mix of danceable pop (Switch Off The Moment, Its You), power ballads (Skeleton, Be Careful, Apple Of My Eye, Fly Through), and lightweight rockers (The Journey / Tranquilizer). Album highlights are the stunning ballads Stupid and haunting Lunatic that feature some great vocal gymnastics that built her reputation, and Throw Your Arms Around which highlights her warble more than any other, brought out by high production values.
As fantastic as this album is, perhaps ORiordan isnt destined to be a solo star and has begun to realise it, which might just have sparked the reunion. Who knows?
The verdict Drool, drool, drool.
Weblinks:doloresoriordan.ie /myspace.com/doloresoriordan
The full list of tracks included are :
1. Switch Off The Moment
2. Skeleton
3. Its You
4. The Journey
5. Stupid
6. Be Careful
7. Apple Of My Eye
8. Throw Your Arms Around Me
9. Fly Through
10. Lunatic
11. Tranquilizer View the discussion thread.blog comments powered by Disqus= 0) {query += ‘url’ + i + ‘=’ + encodeURIComponent(links[i].href) + ‘&’;}}document.write(”);})();//]]]]>]]>
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.