For me, in my life, music is a close friend. It’s a part of me, and like all relationships, some bands are nearer to my heart than others. When I found out that Dolores, lead singer of the Cranberries, had died, my heart hurt. Just like it would if I were to lose any close friend. Even though I did not know her in a concrete way, I believe I knew her through her music.

When Everyone Else is Doing It Why Can’t We came out, I was just emerging from my dark and depressing teen years. I fell in love instantly with The Cranberries and their haunting melodies. I also have memories of so many concerts when they were peaking with their 2nd and 3rd albums No Need to Argue and To the Faithful Departed. At that time I was in college and appreciated their more positive lyrics. The focus was on bigger issues instead of self loathing, melodramatic topics. I remember seeing them perform on The Mall in D.C. where her guitar was stolen and several shows where she would belt out “Ridiculous Thoughts” showing the true power of her voice.

Then she became a mom and so did I, unexpectedly, younger than I had planned. However, she helped deal with that surprise pregnancy by sharing her feelings about becoming a mom in her songs on Bury the Hatchet. I saw her tour just about that time and she was pregnant. She sat on a stool the entire performance and her vocals were just as amazing. She wrote several songs about motherhood and it made me feel better about becoming a mom. I would rock my daughter to sleep to “Dreaming My Dreams” every night.

Then with their album, Wake up and Smell the Coffee I felt like she had finally grown up, like myself! We had both made it through the rough teenage years, becoming mothers at a young age, and now we were finally okay with life. I would play the song “Every Morning” to remind myself of this. The band regrouped and went out on tour in 2009-2010, and I had the privilege of photographing her at Rams Head in Baltimore. I will always be thankful for that opportunity. I know people pass away every day. But for me, it was like losing a very good friend. Musicians touch so many lives.

Now, one year later, the remaining members of The Cranberries announced the news that they will be releasing the last studio album that they had recorded with Dolores in 2017. As they stated on their Facebook announcement, “It was a very emotional process for us. Knowing that we would never get to play these songs live made it even more difficult. There was also an overwhelming sense of finality knowing that this was the last time that we would be in the same studio together working on a Cranberries album.” (Read the full message from the band on their Facebook here.)

The single, “All Over Now” was just released yesterday, January 15, 2019 and….

…it is wonderful.

Enjoy.

Lead photo copyright and courtesy of Shantel Breen/These Subtle Sounds.