The Cranberries - In the End. A Review

Well this is a doozy. Before she died of alcohol related misadventure in early 2018, Dolores O’Riordan had completed vocals for an all new Cranberries record. The last one released before her death was a collection of re-recordings. So this release is incredibly special. Not only is it the very last Cranberries record, it may be the last recordings of O’Riordan. Opening track “All Over Now” is incredibly good but the lyric about the hotel room in London takes on some eeriness these days. The track is really good and would’ve been part of the band’s next chapter.

This is a very downbeat record, very atmospheric and relatively quiet. “A Place I Know” is a great example of this, very quiet and moody but exceptionally good. It’s quite easy to get caught up in Dolores’ soothing voice. “Lost” is as morose a ballad as you can get; it’s still interesting but it’s fairly easy to get lost yourself in the emotions the track brings up. “Wake Me When It’s Over” is another great track that showcases Dolores’ mid-range, something she wasn’t showcasing much towards the end.

“Got It” reminds me a bit of “Promises,” at least the opening; “Promises” was always one of my favorites and while this song takes things down a few notches, it’s, catchy and so much better than what can be heard on the radio. In many ways, this is a far superior record to their initial reunion effort, 2011’s Roses. “Crazy Heart” throws it all the way back to “Free to Decide” and the riff kicks ass. The song is slower but that seems to be the all-around vibe here. Keeping up with Dolores’ vocals, the band turns everything down but manages to give her one hell of a sendoff. Even a tossed off track like “Summer Song” has its place here and works with the rest of the disc.

The closing title track feels weird because it’s hearing Dolores’ vocals one last time, in a quick little acoustic ditty. Her chanting adds an ethereal vibe to the song, a smidge of Cocteau Twins. Farewell Delores, your beautiful voice sure gave fans like me enough musical memories to last the rest of our lives.

Grade: B


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