THE CRANBERRIES”No Need to Argue” Island* *Few...

THE CRANBERRIES

“No Need to Argue”

Island

* *

Few bands have served up two pop-rock treats as irresistible as last year’s “Linger” and “Dreams” in an entire career, so it’s unreasonable to expect this young Irishquartet to duplicate the magic of those songs the second time around.

Still, the absence of similar treats would be less troubling if the group had better resolved the question of its songwriting depth. Even if you couldn’t help turning up the volume whenever “Dreams” came on the radio, it was hard to avoid wondering whether there was more to the Cranberries than seductive production touches.

As if aware of the doubts, Dolores O’Riordan, an appealing singer with a flair for swooping, dramatic vocal twists, and songwriting partner Noel Hogan have shed much of the hugely successful debut album’s youthful innocence in favor of weightier themes, mostly about the tensions of relationships. The lyrics, however, are mostly obvious, and the production touches have become largely anonymous.

The Cranberries either have to refocus on the catchy elements in their music (which would probably be a mistake) or find something more revealing to say in the lyrics. At the moment, they are in danger of ending up in a no-fan’s land.

New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to four stars (excellent).