Dolores O'Riordan (vocals,electric & acoustic guitars & keyboards)
Noel Hogan (electric & acoustic guitars, background vocals)
Mike Hogan (bass guitar)
Fergal Lawler (drums, percussion)
The Cranberries, more so than almost any contemporary group now coming out of Ireland, translate the lyric delicacy and metaphorical melancholy of Gaelic folk music to a rock format. The Cranberries are a tight little band with a sound all their own, though at times many of their songs do suggest some sort of strange communion between U2 and Bjork. How so? The gossamer strains of Noel Hogan's electric guitar recall The Edge's spacy chording, but Hogan's rhythmic focus tends more towards eclectic folk stylings (a la Richard Thompson) than the arena gestures of rock. Which isn't to say that his dancing interplay with bassist Mike Hogan and drummer Feargal Lawlor lacks impact. Quite the contrary.
Songs such as "Dreams" and "Waltzing Back" illustrate the band's special chemistry and harmonic buoyancy, as airy chording gives way to punchy riffs and gruff power chords. But it is The Cranberries remarkable vocalist Dolores O'Riordan who defines the band's unique sound and broad appeal. O'Riordan has an eccentric, emotive style and a stunning vocabulary of guttural whoops and throttled cries (to particular effect on "Pretty"). On "I Still Do" she doubletracks her breathless voice (as she does throughout EVERYBODY ELSE...), creating a mournful melodic ambience as the band rises to match her emotional peaks in a tale of a played out love that will not die. This plaintive tone of O'Riordan resonates throughout EVERYBODY ELSE IS DOING IT, SO WHY CAN'T WE? "You mystify me, you mystify me" she intones dimly as if in a haze on "Sunday" as the band tolls away behind her, while on "Waltzing Back" her yodelling cries and muttered grace notes impart tremendous power to each phrase in this clannish dance.
The title of the Cranberries' smashing debut album -- Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? -- is a subtle reminder of their early days as an Irish novelty band called The Cranberry Saw Us, backing a singer in a silly costume who happened to be the group's one and only lyricist. When he left in 1990, guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan, and drummer Feargal Lawler held an open audition in their native Limerick and recruited a new singer/songwriter named Dolores O'Riordan, a soft-spoken country lass who'd done most of her singing in church. "We all knew we couldn't write lyrics or sing," recalls Noel. "So when we got Dolores, we knew we had to completely trust her. It was hard at first, a complete stranger. But then we got to know her, and we're all really good friends."
Under Dolores' influence, the Cranberries shortened their name, changed their style, and recorded a demo, which ultimately led to a deal with Island Records. Their friendship was put to the test when management problems delayed the release of their album for more than a year, but all's well that end's well: Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? was finally released last summer to rave reviews. The first single, "Dreams," was an instant radio hit; "Linger," the first song Dolores ever wrote with the group, was also a hit on MTV. "Our music feels like something everyone once had, and lost," says Dolores, who is undaunted by comparisons to such alternative pop/rock predecessors as the Sundays or Sinead O'Connor. "It isn't your average pop kind of thing." (1994 VOX magazine!)
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