Rocktrospectiva: The Chart Breaker "To The Faithful Departed" Turns 30

 

Released on 29 April 1996 "To The Faithful Departed" was the 3erd., studio album by Irish alternative rock band the Cranberries. The album was made in memory of Denny Cordell, who signed the band to Island Records, and Joe O'Riordan (vocalist Dolores O'Riordan's grandfather), who had both died that year. Spawning four singles "Salvation", "Free To Decide", "When You're Gone", & "Hollywood, the album reached number one in four countries and became the band's highest-charting album on the US Billboard 200, where it peaked at number four.

The Cranberries music is driven by the distinct singing of vocalist Dolores O'Riordan, similar to previous albums, Dolores used her powerful voice to set the mood in many different ways, such as the tearful farewell in When You're Gone, to the emotional soft protest song, War Child, to the strange and bittersweet Will You Remember?. And maybe her best performance on the album was the opener, Hollywood. Dolores O'Riordan's voice was again one of the key elements of The Cranberries, and she certainly did not disappointed on To the Faithful Departed.

The album itself was a sort of a mixed bag. Across fifteen songs there were some filler tracks such as Will You Remember?, The Rebels, and Bosnia all of them were quite dull. Will You Remember?,  was just Dolores singing over a music box and did not add anything to the album. However, To the Faithful Departed had some excellent material, such as the rocker Hollywood; the fast paced songs Forever Yellow Skies and I Just Shot John Lennon, which featured the rest of the band at their best; the catchy, mid-paced single Free to Decide; the softer, ballady sounding Electric Blues, a song featured Delores at her best; the list goes on and on. To the Faithful Departed reached out to fans of several genres, whether it be a rockers and those who prefered mellower songs like When You're Gone and War Child, or those who just want to listen to laidback songs such as I'm Still Remembering, there is a song everyone could find appealing. 

Many of the songs on this album spoke out against certain issues at the time like Heroin abuse in Salvation, or anti-war protests in songs like Bosnia and War Child. Dolores' writing felt preachy, something. Other songs, such as The Rebels, I'm Still Remembering, and Joe featured the typical Cranberries themes such as love and reminiscence of the past as usual.

Perhaps, "To The Faithful Departed" was the band's most sought out album, but it was the band's biggest and succesful record ever released, it was a great album to pleased fans of every pop genre and still sounds nice and clever 30 years later. 

 

To The Faithful Departed Track List:  

 

1. Hollywood

2. Salvation

3. When You're Gone

4. Free To Decide

5. War Child

6. Forever Yellow Skies

7. The Rebels

8. Intermission

9. I Just Shot John Lennon 

10. Electric Blue

11. I'm Still Remembergin

12. Will You Remember?

13. Joe

14. Cordell

15. Bosnia