The Cranberries - Stars: The best of 1992 - 2002 (Island)

I remember a time when this nation held The Cranberries close to its heart with a grip that looked sure never to loosen. Songs like 'Dreams', 'Ode to my family', 'Linger' and the massive hit single 'Zombie' were all over the airwaves, coming from every radio and car stereo. Then they disappeared, at least that's what it seemed like. The lukewarm reception that greeted their third album, "To the faithful departed", did little to help. The Cranberries basically packed up base and moved their music on into mainland Europe and the States. But they didn't go away.

This ten-year retrospective collects together on one album their entire singles collection to date, plus two brand new songs, 'New New York' and 'Stars'. Starting at the dawn of their career and working through in chronological order, it's easy to hear exactly when the Irish public let go. From 'Salvation', the first single from album number three, things start to get a bit forgettable and the charm fades into the background. The songs are still emotional and catchy, but nowhere near as touching as the likes of 'Linger' and 'Ode to my family'. Every now and then you'll catch a glimpse of the old flame, like on 'Promises', but it's more often than not false sounding and strained, take 'Just my imagination' as the most obvious example.

Clearly then, this is for people who have the first two albums and who now sometimes wonder to themselves, "whatever happened to The Cranberries? They were huge". If that rings true for you, then I'd suggest getting this. The old songs still sound as good as ever and will become firm favourites again quickly. It should also help kill off that curiosity as well because you'll finally get to hear just what The Cranberries did next.

Ken McGrath