As much as we are floored today by the news of Cranberries singer Dolores O'Riordan's untimely passing at the age of 46, we are reliving all our favorite musical moments of a voice that no one could have possibly known would go quiet today.
Remembering that first flutter of the heart upon hearing "Linger" on the radio for the first time and knowing an important voice had arrived. By the time the band's second record, No Need To Argue, came out, the look and the sound had been sharpened, refined, and condensed into a tight package waiting to burst forth upon being opened.
The same year that O'Riordan's plaintive yodel turned "Zombie" into a worldwide smash hit and her band into a household name here in the States, where the band's second album sold over 6 million copies, she also turned in another stellar vocal performance with former Public Image Ltd. bassist Jah Wobble's Invaders of the Heart.
"The Sun Does Rise", from 1994's Take Me To God, showed O'Riordan's voice meshing well with world music rhythms and let this writer to wonder if she wouldn't soon grow the admittedly limited musical range of her band.
While the song went on to just miss the UK Top 40, America's love for side projects by former members of PiL leaves much to be desired.