Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
the simple things in life, 25 Oct 2001
So it's two days since I bought the album and I'm not amazed to say it hasn't grown on me yet. That's not to say though, I'm disappointed. This one's another new journey to embark upon, an adventure if you will. My 7th year as a Cranberries fan, you do a lot of growing up in between 14-21, and as you follow a band, you grow up to the music, with the music and with the band. As for the band, they too grow up, musically, thematically and lyrically. Which is why we've seen such a 180 degrees change since the very grim 1996 release of "To the faithful departed". Another review has said that 10 years of recording still hasn't taught Dolores how to write a good song lyric. And what is it we're after as fans or just plain old music lovers? Something to make us interested, intrigued, something to empathise with in our lows and aspire to, and at the end of the day, when we're happy, we need a soundtrack (I for one do) to make a moment a bit more memorable and lasting, music does that to moments, good and bad alike, and this is exactly what this album is about. Finding peace. Simplifying things, clarity, prespective, priorities. Dolores O'Riordan has changed a lot in the last few years, and the music is the biggest testimony of that.
This album oozes of parenthood, motherhood, acceptance of one's past, embracing of one's future, and it reflects the rare ability O'Riordan has demonstrated of looking at a moment and having a clear enough mind to say "This is a happy moment, I am happy". It's a personal album, full of intimate hopes, anxieties and revelations. Songs like "I really hope" and "Chocolate Brown", are about those treasured moments of bonding with your children, and the fears and hopes that you'll live up to your expectations of yourself as a parent. The simplicity of "Analyse", speaks for itself, when you stop over analysing, it all sounds more simple, and yes, clearer. "Wake up and..." is a very self reflective track, and it is the spirit of the album, waking up and realising who you are, where you are and what you want your life to be. I have a lot more listening ahead of me but I'll say this in conclusion, while this is not a lyrically complex album as one might expect, and some would claim to be able to write better songs in their sleep... that's all fair enough.
But! We should all be lucky to be able to feel someday a tenth of what Dolores was feeling when she was writing this album.
That's peace of mind.
Well done guys. 5 stars as usual.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Coffee please and don't hold the caffeine !, 11 April 2004
The Cranberries have never attempted to reinvent themselves in an attempt to impress critcal acclaim.Thankfully Dolores has not,as yet,felt the urge to become a jazz or blues chantuese,Nor have the musicians broken out into avant-garde Tangerine Dream territory or become a Guns & Roses pastiche band.
No...The Cranberries remain firmly entrenched within their own unique genre of melodic Irish Indie rock with pop and folk undercurrents.
'Wake up and smell the coffee' continues in a familiar vein as previous Cranberries albums.Acoustic intros,spunky guitar riffs and Dolores giving it some !
It's good...very good in fact.Not quite 'No need to argue'in quality but chock full of meaty goodness nontheless.The eponymous title track and the live version of 'Promises' really stand out though.
Can't wait for the next instalment from the west of Ireland crew !
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Cranberries return to greatness, 7 Nov 2001
Wake Up and Smell the Coffee marks a return to greatness for Limerick quartet The Cranberries. Raise your glasses to the return of Stephen Street who produced their breathtaking debut album and its follow up No Need to Argue. After a two album hiatus the Cranberries have thankfully "Woken Up" and realized that Streets ear was a major factor in creating their greatest sounds. Coffee's first single Analyze is like an old friend and as close as it gets to recreating the folk rock genius of Dreams. Ebbing and flowing from the speakers with the zest of a warm summers breeze it is one of the most beautifully arranged pieces of carefree pop to be heard. This song lies in the moment you hear it, like they say "just breath the air". With the exception of the third track Time is Ticking Out the soundscapes of WUASTC are more about creating feeling than delivering a line - a labored approach that was shooting them in the foot by their third album To The Faithful Departed. The Berries have included an airy mix of gentle lullabies (Pretty Eyes and Do You know) that take the listener far away from the burdens of the world. O'Riordan no longer seeks magnificence from a thrashing guitar and scathing lyric. Chocolate Brown and Dying Inside are musical poetry by the sheer sincerity, vulnerability, and pathos in the delivery of the notes. A personal favorite is This Is The Day, a mightily paced powerhouse anthem as invincible as the Cranberries themselves. The triumph of the Cranberries lies absolutely in the fact there is nobody in the world with an instrument quite as unique as the O'Riordan Pipes. The anthemic title track with its powerful guitars and opening line "I went to hell" could easily be the work of PJ Harvey until the reverberating magnificence of the vocal kicks in. The song is one hundred percent O'Riordans. The band is as tight as ever. Precious guitar hooks paint a million pictures, sounds everywhere add an extra layer on every new listen - there is even a drum loop on The Concept At the zenith of their own stadium filling success (circa 1995) REM were so enamored that they had the Cranberries open for much of the Monster Tour. Not forgetting Madonna's admission of respect it is clear that back those heady days - of the magical Dreams, the magnificent Zombie and of course the timeless love song Linger - the Berries were a musical force to be reckoned with. Now, Wake Up and Smell The Coffee is a defiant return to such greatness. Thank you.
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