“No Baggage” begins on a familiar note, as Dolores O’Riordan harmonizes to a seemingly slow tune before it picks up for a power chorus in “Switch Off the Moment.” Not particularly complex, O’Riordan sets the tone for the rest of the album: simple lyrics, a crescendo leading to the chorus and not to mention optimism.
In “Skeleton,” listeners can’t be sure if O’Riordan is referring to the days when she looked skeletal, brought on by a hectic touring schedule and a nervous breakdown during The Cranberries’ heyday. It is clear O’Riordan has spent time trying to let go of the past as she sings, “Forward to the future, I must move on, I will let go.” “Skeleton” is a rock power anthem demonstrating O’Riordan abandoned the gloomy, depressive
ballads that made her famous.
O’Riordan garnered much criticism in The Cranberries’ 1997’s “To the Faithful Departed” for simple lyrics about Bosnia, Kurt Cobain and John Lennon. This time she has opted not to preach about politics, but life. A theme of self-therapy is apparent in the rest of the album. After dealing with her father’s bout with illness, O’Riordan wrote “It’s You,” which reflects on their relationship. “Tranquilizer” also revisits O’Riordan’s younger days: “I used to think if I believed/In all my dreams, I’d never grieved/In all my days, I’d never cry.”
A crisp, polished electric guitar and pounding drums are prevalent in “The Journey,” and although the first single isn’t bad, it’s almost too perfect. O’Riordan can sound over polished, but it’s the moments where she’s not trying too hard that win listeners over.Take “Lunatic” for example. The bare track is simply O’Riordan and a piano that lulls listeners with O’Riordan’s best tool, her voice, while dismissing a standard hook. She slightly resembles Tori Amos when she strays from the standard riff, speeds up the piano and gradually repeats, “There’s nowhere you can hide.” “Throw Your Arms Around Me” slightly strays from the standard pop rock formula as well. A bit reminiscent of “Dreams,” the track fuses quivery yodeling, Native-American-esque drums and Celtic sounds.
In the end, “No Baggage” is a safe effort musically, but lyrically O’Riordan has matured from her angsty “Zombie”-ridden days and connected with her older, grown-up audience.