The Cranberries To the Faithful Departed

This is the Cranberries' contribution to the time-honored difficult-third-album syndrome, with the Irish quartet--particularly frontwoman Dolores O'Riordan--working to expand its musical base and stretch out in new lyrical directions. While their efforts are only partially successful, the band approaches the task with such cocky confidence that the album maintains a consistently high level of likableness. The band employs a convincingly aggressive instrumental attack on "Salvation" and "Hollywood," while the lilting balladry of "Free to Decide" and "When You're Gone" underlines O'Riordan's ties to Celtic folk tradition. And while her efforts at tackling current events on "War Child," "Bosnia," and the controversial "I Shot John Lennon" are hit-and-miss, her obvious sense of commitment gives those songs an undeniable power. --Scott Schinder