Music
20 Nov 19

The Cranberries receive Grammy nomination

The Cranberries. Copyright Miguel Ruiz.

Their first Grammy nomination comes almost two years after Dolores O'Riordan's passing.

Released in April 2019, the Cranberries' final album In The End now earned a Grammy nod for 'Best Rock Album'. It marks their first-ever nomination at the prestigious awards.

Also nominated in the same category are Bring Me The Horizon, I Prevail, Cage The Elephant, and Rival Sons.

In The End peaked at number 3 in the Irish album charts and was called "an unexpected gift" by Hot Press' Jackie Hayden. In his review, he said, "In The End is 100% Cranberries, with all that the brand name promises. Not only were we not expecting it – we weren't even entitled to think it could be this good. But it is."

The album is based on fresh demos by the band and features vocals recorded by lead singer Dolores O'Riordan before her tragic passing in January 2018. The surviving members of The Cranberries - guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan, drummer Fergal Lawler – restarted work on the album later that year after much deliberation and with the support of Dolores' family.

With the songs at various stages of completion they turned to Stephen Street - who had produced four of their previous albums including Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? and No Need To Argue - and built the sounds around Dolores' vocals from those original demos. The resulting album blends rock, alternative and catchy almost pop-sounding melodies to deliver a classic Cranberries sound.

"We wanted to finish this album for our dear friend and band mate Dolores", Noel Hogan says. "It's a tribute to her, the band and our fans for the past thirty years. Being honoured with this Grammy nomination has made this whole process even more special."

Dolores' mother Eileen O'Riordan adds, "Dolores would be so happy with this, she put her heart and soul into her songs and music. For us as her family it's kind of bittersweet, we're immensely proud yet saddened that she isn't here to witness and enjoy this, although I feel that she is in spirit."

The 2020 Grammy Awards will be hosted by Alicia Keys and are set to take place at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles on January 27, 2020.