Cranberries
The dreamy "Linger" and the uptempo "Dreams" were pop hits for the Cranberries. The Irish group formed in '90 also had later Alt. Rock hits with the mournful "Ode To My Family" and "Zombie."
The Hogan brothers, bassist Noel and guitarist Mike, teamed with drummer Fergal Lawler. The group's original singer took a hike so they put in ad in the paper for a female vocalist. Enter Dolores O' Riordan who brought along some serious Celtic influences.
The Cranberries debut "Everyone Else Is Doing It, Why Can't We" didn't attract much U.K. attention so the group headed for the states where they were warmly received as an opening act. The buzz got "Linger" played on MTV, turning it into a major hit. "Dreams" followed.
"No Need To Argue" with "Zombie" rolled out a year later and did even better. "To The Faithful Departed," released in '96 was more Rock oriented but failed to match its predecessors commercial success though it did sell a million copies. '99 saw the release of "Bury The Hatchet" with "Wake Up & Smell The Coffee" arriving in '01. Riordan and her husband, Don Burton, wrote all the songs for "Wake Up." The two met when Burton was the Cranberries tour manager.
"Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We" and "No Need To Argue" present the Cranberries guitar driven, Celtic influenced Rock in the most favorable light. Though subsequent albums attempt to "toughen up" the Cranberries sound they aren't able to execute as well as they'd like.