Gaffa confirms that Dolores O’Riordan’s concert in Copenhagen will take place at the Vega on June 11th. Tickets will go on sale at 10:00 on February 26 from Billetlugen.dk. If you are skilled in the Danish tongue (Google Translate won’t help us), you can read more details over at Gaffa.

In an interview recorded during the soundcheck for December’s Monte Carlo Christmas Concert, Dolores O’Riordan told Italian website Music Box that having a new band to back her solo career is like having “a new boyfriend” (!)

Cranberries-fan has posted DivX videos of a very brief interview done for the Italian-based Music Box service. There are also clips of Dolores’s soundcheck of “Away in a Manger.”

Dolores, who sounds a bit under the weather in the video, said, “It’s really quite di erent [from The Cranberries]. It’s more experimental, I suppose. The whole idea was to do something di erent, try di erent things… so hopefully you’ll enjoy it.”

How does Dolores feel about being a solo artist? “It’s cool. It’s not that much di erent — you’ve still got a band playing. It’s exciting, it’s just a new experience. It’s like a new boyfriend or something.”

You can download DivX versions over at Cranberries-fan or watch YouTube versions below
[LINKS NO LONGER AVAILABLE]

Static Multimedia has posted what appears to be a Sanctuary-penned synopsis of Dolores O’Riordan’s forthcoming solo album Are You Listening?
The press release reveals that the singer has written over 30 songs over the past five years, only 12 of which appear on the forthcoming album. This extreme sort of “boiling down” of songs seems to fit in with the direction that O’Riordan was heading when she was starting to write The Cranberries’ ill-fated sixth album in 2002.
She told Italian TV network La7 in July 2003, “We’re concentrating on writing right now, taking our time to do a really beautiful album. Even if we write 4 songs, we’ll throw 3 of them away and we’ll choose 1 [to keep]. We’ve got to be very selective to be sure that the next album is really good, because it doesn’t make sense to make an album otherwise, so we prefer to take our time, to enjoy the period of writing, and time spent at home. Then we can go out with a really great disc and a good tour.”
Also, it should be pointed out that “Apple of My Eye” appears as “Apple” in this press release.

Dolores O’Riordan 1st Solo
Iconic – Ethereal – Exquisite
Three adjectives that can be used to describe both album and artist. Sanctuary Records is thrilled to release Dolores O’Riordan’s first solo e ort, ARE YOU LISTENING? on May 15, 2007.
Taking her time after the demise of The Cranberries (who sold 40 million records worldwide), Dolores O’Riordan retreated to real life with her husband. She had three children and wrote over 30 songs. She never rushed. And when she was ready, she whittled those 30 songs down to the terrific 12 tracks that make up ARE YOU LISTENING?
A logical successor to The Cranberries, but a knowingly more mature e ort, ARE YOU LISTENING? takes the listener on a journey of the heart. From the rage of “Black Widow,” to the sweet romance of “Apple” to the joy of first single “Ordinary Day,” O’Riordan always was – and remains – one of the few vocalists that can capture emotion in a song.
It comes down to the voice. THAT voice. You know just where you were the first time you heard “Linger” or “Dreams” or “Zombie.” That power remains intact when hearing ARE YOU LISTENING? Dolores O’Riordan is one of a handful of artists who can be identified from the second they sing their first note.
Co-produced by Youth, Dan Broadbeck and Rich Chycki, ARE YOU LISTENING? is a stunning debut from an artist who really has nothing to prove but everything to share.
DOLORES O’RIORDAN – ARE YOU LISTENING?
Track Listing:
1. Ordinary Day
2. When We Were Young
3. In the Garden
4. Human Spirit
5. Loser
6. Stay With Me
7. Apple
8. Black Widow
9. October
10. Accept Things
11. Angel Fire
12. Ecstasy

Thanks to celticyodels for finding it.

Source: Static Multimedia.

A few dates have been trickling in over the past few weeks, but we now have Dolores O’Riordan’s full European tour lineup:

**Tour schedule updated 02.23:**
29TH MAY – BARCELONA, SPAIN – RAZZMATAZZ
31ST MAY – MILAN, ITALY – ALCATRAZ
01ST JUNE – ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – KAUFLEUTEN 03RD JUNE – AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND – PARADISO 05TH JUNE – BRUSSELS, BELGIUM – ANCIENNE BELGIQUE 06TH JUNE – PARIS, FRANCE – BATACLAN
09TH JUNE – BERLIN, GERMANY – COLUMBIA CLUB 10TH JUNE – STOCKHOLM,SWEDEN – BERNS
11TH JUNE – COPENHAGEN, DENMARK – VEGA
13TH JUNE – COLOGNE, GERMANY – GLORIA
15TH JUNE – LONDON, U.K. – KOKO CLUB

It appears that some venues still have yet to be confirmed.

In other news, the following German release dates have been confirmed:
“Ordinary Day” single on May 4th, Are You Listening? album on May 11th.

Thanks to Stéphane for the news!

Confirmed: A PR representative for Sanctuary Records has confirmed to Zombieguide that Dolores O’Riordan’s Are You Listening? is now scheduled to come out on May 15th in the United States.

It seems that Are You Listening? might be delayed a week in the US. An article last week on LiveDaily listed a May 15th release date. (The album was previously scheduled for May 8th in the US.)

Now, the representative running Sanctuary’s MySpace wrote in regards to Dolores’s in-the-works MySpace profile: “It should be up and running shortly! Look out for her album May 15th. Thanks!”

Thanks to Meg for the news.

Amsterdam’s Paradiso is listing a Dolores O’Riordan concert scheduled there for June 3rd at 20:30 local time. Tickets will go on sale March 3rd.

This is earlier than the first-announced June 6th date in Paris, so perhaps more even earlier dates are soon to be announced.

Thanks to our tasty friend Taco for the tip.

UK ticket broker Ticketweb has posted a second tour date for Dolores O’Riordan’s summer tour: London at the Koko on June 15th at 7 PM. Tickets are not yet on sale, but will go on sale on Friday, February 23rd at 9 AM.

Thanks to Stéphane for the news!

Helter Ltd., Dolores O’Riordan’s self-owned management company, has just registered the domain http://www.doloresoriordan.ie, presumably for use in promoting her upcoming record. The domain record was most recently updated on February 15th. There is only a generic placeholder page there currently.

Thanks to Saeed for pointing it out.

Sanctuary Records has sent out a French press release, which includes the title of a song called “Watch the Stars,” which was not included in the recent full-album promos for Are You Listening? It could end up as a B-side — we’ll have to wait and see.

The press release also says that the 2 songs that UK-based Youth produced are “Apple of My Eye” and the first single “Ordinary Day.” Additionally, mixer Richard Chycki has updated his blog to report that he and Dolores co- produced the single. Chycki writes that Dan Brodbeck and Dolores O’Riordan co-produced most of the album.

Dolores O’Riordan
« Are You Listening? »
LE PREMIER ALBUM SOLO DE LA VOIX DES CRANBERRIES
Sortie le 7 mai 2007 sur Sequel Records / Sanctuary (distribution PIAS)
Conçu entre son Irlande natale et le Canada, sa terre d’adoption, « Are You Listening ? » marque le grand retour et les débuts solo de Dolores O’Riordan ! Enfin libérée de toutes obligations contractuelles et de ses inhibitions, après quatre ans de silence, celle que l’on a connue comme LA chanteuse du groupe irlandais The Cranberries, revient sur le devant de la scène, seule, plus envoûtante que jamais, avec un disque chargé d’émotions pures.
Très largement inspirées par les expériences personnelles de cette musicienne hors pair, les 12 chansons de ce disque traitent de sujets forts comme le cancer qui a emporté sa mère, tristement dépeint à travers la sombre métaphore de « Black Widow », ou plus heureux comme les rapports avec son mari canadien sur « Apple » ou de la naissance de Dakota, leur troisième enfant, avec « Ordinary Day ». A noter que deux de ces titres, « Apple » et « Ordinary Day », le premier single, sont produits par Youth, dont l’on a déjà pu apprécier le travail d’orfèvre avec The Verve, Embrace, Primal Scream, U2 ou Paul McCartney.
Il y a fort à parier que le scintillement crescendo des guitares rock de « In The Garden », les touches délicates et les refrains accrocheurs de « Watch The Stars » ou « Loser », ne vont pas manquer de séduire tous ceux qui ont un jour vibré pour les compositions et la voix cristalline de la chanteuse.
A noter que c’est le bassiste Marco Mendoza (Blue Murder, Thin Lizzy, Ted Nugent, Whitesnake, Soul Sirkus) qui accompagnent Dolores sur disque et sur scène !
Un concert unique est d’ores et déjà annoncé
le 6 juin à Paris, au Bataclan.

Source: Metal-live

Dan Brodbeck, who is producing and engineering Dolores O’Riordan’s forthcoming solo album, has posted
some photos of Dolores’s studio sessions on his personal site. [LINK NO LONGER AVAILABLE]

The photos were taken at Pulse Studios and Windmill Lane Studios (where The Cranberries recorded To the Faithful Departed and Wake Up and Smell the Coffee), both in Dublin. There are also photos of guitarist Steve Demarchi, bassist Marco Mendoza, and drummer Graham Hopkins, who are all contributing to the album.

A photo shows that for one take, the crew had to squeeze Graham Hopkins’s drum kit into a tiny voiceover booth at Windmill Lane Studios. Another photo shows Hopkins sitting at a mixing board listening to a recent take, while others are scenic pictures of Howth outside of Dublin, where Dolores now lives.

Source: Dan Brodbeck

A MySpace page has launched for Dolores O’Riordan’s solo album… but there really isn’t much there yet. There’s a rough biography about Dolores’s collaborations from 2003 to the present, which should be well-known to Zombieguide readers. Of course you can get in line for the friends list, although no one’s been approved yet.

Update: Although the profile is linked to Sanctuary Records, the page says it is a fanpage at this time.

Right alongside today’s unveiling of the cover of Dolores O’Riordan’s solo album is the announcement of the first concert, to be held June 6th at the Bataclan in Paris, France. Provided that no earlier concerts will be announced, this will be Dolores’s first full-length concert in nearly four years, her last being The Cranberries’ summer tour ender in Killarney, Ireland, on June 27, 2003.

More tour dates are sure to come soon, so we’ll have them up as soon as they’re announced.

Source: Zegut

Ladies and gentlemen, the cover:

Thanks to many for the tip.

Source: Zegut

Sequel has just sent out the first full-album promos for Dolores O’Riordan’s new album Are You Listening? The album has 12 tracks, which are…

1. Ordinary Days (4.04)
2. When We Were Young (3.23)
3. In the Garden (4.27)
4. Human Spirit (4.00)
5. Loser (2.56)
6. Stay with Me (4.01)
7. Apple of My Eye (4.42)
8. Black Widow (4.56)
9. October (4.38)
10. Accept Things (4.11)
11. Angel Fire (5.02)
12. Ectasy (5.13)

Notably absent are a number of song titles that Dolores has recorded over the past several years: “Letting Go,” “Without You,” “Forever,” “Playground,” and “Croatia.”

In related news, a full version of “Ordinary Day” has hit the internet. Maybe visiting the ZG Forums will help you find it.

Seems like tons of news is now breaking about Dolores’s album, so we’ll have the latest ASAP.

Source: Zegut

“Ordinary Day” will be the title of Dolores O’Riordan’s debut solo single from her upcoming album Are You Listening? Croatian radio station Otvoreni Radio played the song on air today, a full two months ahead of the scheduled April release date.

The title “Ordinary Day” popped up on iTunes tracking software Last.fm in December along with the titles “Loser” and “Human Spirit.” It’s possible that the latter two are B-sides for the single. (Update: “Loser” and “Human Spirit” are album tracks.)

Cranberries-fan.com has a first try at transcribing the lyrics. They also have a 30-second clip of the new song that you can download on that page!

Source: Cranberries-fan

Some more names have surfaced in connection with Dolores O’Riordan’s forthcoming debut solo LP, “Are You Listening?” The biggest new name is UK producer Youth, best known for producing The Verve’s seven-million- selling Urban Hymns, including the anthem “Bittersweet Symphony.” Youth also produced the Dido track “Don’t Think of Me.” The Big Life Producers website states that Youth has produced and mixed tracks for the album.

Partnering on engineering and mixing for the tracks with Youth is Clive Goddard, whose long list of credits include Madonna, Paul McCartney, Moby, Placebo, Damage, Sinead O’Connor, and INXS.

The site says Youth and Goddard spent the last months of 2006 working on the album.

Youth and Goddard join an already extensive list of producers/engineers/mixers who have been working on Dolores’s solo material, including Dan Brodbeck, Richard Chycki, Tim Palmer, and Matthew Vaughan, just to name a few.

Dolitsa writes on the Zombieguide Forums that a zip file has appeared on file-sharing program Emule today that purports to be a leaked copy of Dolores O’Riordan’s forthcoming debut solo album “Are You Listening?” The file is labeled as “Are You Listening – Dolores O’Riordan (DEC-2006).zip.” We can’t yet confirm whether the file is authentic or not, but if you have any success in downloading, please let us know in the forums!

The album on Sanctuary Records is due in stores on May 7 in the UK and May 8 in the US.

Update: Looks like the file was a fake. We’ll keep you posted any new developments.

Sanctuary Records has posted an o cial press release on Dolores’s signing to the label and her forthcoming solo album. (Note that the May 7 release date probably applies to Europe.)

Sanctuary signs Dolores O’Riordan for first solo outing
Sequel to release new album for former lead singer of The Cranberries
30 November 2006
Sanctuary Records, who recently reactivated and revitalised its contemporary label, Sequel, has signed the multi-talented Dolores O’Riordan for her first solo album, ‘Are You Listening?’, to Sequel.
Dolores, iconic former lead singer of The Cranberries, who sold in excess of 40 million albums worldwide with the band, will be releasing the lead single from her album in late April 2007 with the album itself slated for a 7th May 2007 release. Dolores will be embarking on a world tour in support of the new album from the Summer of 2007.
Sequel, recently reactivated by Sanctuary, is focused on providing a home to contemporary artists, particularly those with an established fan base and who are looking for an alternative to the major labels. The label has recently also signed The Cooper Temple Clause and Idlewild.
Malcolm Dunbar, Head of A&R, commented on the Dolores signing:
“I’m delighted Dolores has chosen to sign to the company. This album will further establish her reputation as an exceptional songwriter and singer.”
Adding to this, Joe Cokell, Sanctuary Records Worldwide CEO said:
“Dolores is a fabulous addition to our roster of newly signed artists. The record sounds absolutely brilliant & we are very excited about the release & are confident of having worldwide success during the course of next year.”

The domain Doloresoriordan.co.uk has been registed, presumably for use in promoting her forthcoming solo album

The domain was booked on September 28 by Antti Rantanen, who appears to be an employee of Sanctuary Records in the UK.

Currently there is nothing at the address except for a placeholder page.

Dolores O’Riordan’s long-awaited solo album finally has a title and concrete release date, Billboard reports this evening.

Dolores’s debut solo album will be called Are You Listening? and will release on May 8, 2007 in the United States on Sanctuary Records. In Europe, the album will release on Sanctuary’s newly restarted sub-label, Sequel.

A yet-to-be-announced single will release in late April.

Dolores will tour in support of her debut solo album in spring and summer
of next year.

Sanctuary’s CEO Joe Cokell said in a statement last week, “We also expect to announce another very significant addition to [Sequel]’s roster as early as next week, and we look forward to having major success with these albums through 2007.”

Dolores is only the third act signed to the relaunched Sequel label, after The Cooper Temple Clause & Idlewild. According to the same statement, the Sequel label specializes “as a home for contemporary artists, particularly those who have already established a fan base and who are looking for an alternative to the major labels.”

We will have more details as they break!

Dolores O’Riordan has finally found a label for her forthcoming debut solo release, the Ulster Herald reports today.

Sanctuary Records will release the new record which is due in early 2007. Sanctuary’s roster includes Morrissey (formerly of The Smiths), Iron Maiden, Tegan and Sara, and Crosby & Nash. The label specializes in artists who already have established careers and solid fanbases.

Sanctuary handled the release of The Cranberries’ Beneath the Skin Ver. 2 DVD in the United States.

A source close to Dolores told Zombieguide that the album is nearly finished and that the search for a record company was the main factor in its delay.

We’ll have more details as they become available!

(Oh, and happy Thanksgiving… and don’t forget the cranberries!)

Media reports out of Italy this morning confirm that Dolores O’Riordan will perform at the newly reorganized 2006 Concerto di Natale in Monaco, formerly called the Vatican Christmas Concert.

This year’s concert will take place on December 9, 2006, at 18:00 at the Grimaldi Forum, Monte Carlo, Monaco. Tickets range in price from €150 to €1000.

The Vatican Christmas Concert ran for 13 years at the Vatican before Pope Benedict XVI cancelled it earlier this year, stating that he didn’t like pop music. This year’s concert will be moving to Monte Carlo, Monaco under a new organizer.

The annual concert is broadcast nationally on TV in Italy, but this year’s concert will be shown by Raidue instead of Mediaset.

Confirmed so far to perform are:
Gipsy Kings
Ronan Keating (of Boyzone)
Skin (of Skunk Anansie)
Dolores O’Riordan (of The Cranberries)
Nicky Nicolai & Stefani Di Battista
Helena Hellwigg
Massimo Ranieri
Sergio Cammariere
Noa
Gigi D’Alessio
Andrea Mingardi
Sara6
Marco Masini / Umberto Tozzi
Appassionante
Benedict Gospel Choir
Summertime Gospel Choir
Les petits chanteurs de Monaco
Giancarlo Giannini

This will be Dolores’s fourth time performing at the concert — her past appearances were in 2001, 2002, and 2005.

You can read a press release over at Rockol and the o cial lineup here. We’ll have more news as it breaks. Thanks to Luca for the news!

Spanish singer and actor Miguel Bosé told Reforma newspaper yesterday that that he had plans to record a duet with Dolores O’Riordan for his new album, but scheduling problems squashed it (also: AP report).

Dolores was to duet with him on a song called “Partisano,” but the plans stalled due to scheduling conflicts. However, Bosé said he might still be able to record the duet at a later date.

“We talked a lot about it,” Bosé said. “I was doing to do ‘Partisano’ with her, but no, after all of that, we couldn’t do it. We’ll try again some other time.”

Miguel Bosé’s upcoming CD, due in February, will contain 30 duets including Ricky Martin, Shakira, Julieta Venegas, Juanes, REM vocalist Michael Stipe, and Alaska.

Thanks to Paolo for the tip!

A listing on the Internet Movie Database reveals that Dolores O’Riordan’s 1997 solo track “God Be With You” is being used in a new short film called 3:16. The 19-minute film is directed by Jason Durdon, and it picked up a “Best Actor” award at the Estes Park Film Festival last month.

Dolores originally wrote the song for the film The Devil’s Own. Although it is technically a solo track, The Cranberries included it as a B-side on the “Just My Imagination” single and the 2002 re-release of To the Faithful Departed: The Complete Sessions.

The first new Dolores O’Riordan song in nearly a year has surfaced on Angelo Badalamenti’s MySpace page.

The collaboration with Dolores and Angelo Badalamenti, who is best known for his soundtracks for David Lynch films “Mulholland Drive” and “Blue Velvet,” is called “The Butterfly.” You can get an MP3 of the song in the previous post on this page.

This is the first new Dolores O’Riordan solo material to surface since last year’s leak of the demos “In the Garden” and “Letting Go.”

Badalamenti first discussed the song in an unpublished outtake from a Mix magazine interview earlier this year. He said,

I just finished a new song with her called “The Butterfly,” which is wonderful, that I’d like to get into a film. I’ll start showing that to some directors now. She’s a terrific talent, and she keeps sending me lyrics. We’ve never met. I work on music and send it back to her, and then once I get her key on the phone – she’ll sing to me – then I’ll do a track her, send it to her and then she’ll do the vocal. Then she sends back to me, and I do the mix here, and that’s that. That’s how we work.

You’ll recall Dolores and Badalamenti last collaborated on the haunting theme song “Angels Go to Heaven” for David Grieco’s 2004 independent film Evilenko, which is now available in the US on DVD (Zombieguide review).

No word yet on exact plans for what “The Butterfly” will be used for. Dolores told Hot Press magazine last year that she and Badalamenti are collaborating on the music for David Grieco’s next film, Secrets of Love. Whether this song will be a part of that soundtrack is unknown.
According to Grieco, the film’s plot revolves around a singer who mysteriously disappears for years and is presumed dead. Badalamenti’s MySpace page gives no further details about the song.

Abandoned Pools, the alias of singer-songwriter Tommy Walter, writes on his MySpace that he has penned a song for Dolores O’Riordan called “Twilight.” He writes:

I wrote a song for Dolores O’Riordan (formerly of the Cranberries). We share a manager. I like it a lot and I think that if she doesn’t use it then I’ll release it as an AP song. It’s tentatively titled ‘Twilight’ and is in the same vein as ‘The Catalyst’.

You can listen to the song “The Catalyst” on Abandoned Pools’ MySpace.

Dolores O’Riordan has added plans to build a home recording studio to a list of amenities for a new home in Howth, Dublin.

In addition, she and her husband reached an amicable agreement with neighbors to go ahead with plans, according to the September 10th Irish edition of the Sunday Times.

Dolores’s original plans to build a new oceanfront home there met with privacy concerns from neighbors. Grocery chain owner Feargal Quinn in particular expressed concern that the views from the house’s third floor balcony would give a too-close-for-comfort view into his home.

O’Riordan’s architect met with Quinn to resolve this, and now Quinn fully supports the plans. In addition, Dolores plans to double the size of the house, and move it three meters north, towards nearby Ceanchor Road. Dolores now plans to add an extra 4,000 square feet to the existing 5,500- foot plans. The new features will include the home studio, guest rooms, swimming pool, gym, and sauna.

If there are any Irish visitors reading this who can get ahold of the Sept. 10th issue, it includes a picture of Dolores on the inside page of the Homes section, and we would love to have scans.

Dolores O’Riordan recently told a fan — while shopping for bras! — that her solo debut is now delayed until 2007.

A blogger named Beth at birdnameddinah spotted Dolores in a lingerie shop called La Senza in Dolores’s part-time home of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. According to Beth, Dolores was “TOTALLY gracious and introduced me to her daughter.”

The blog writer also managed to get an autograph. You can read the account and see the autograph over at birdnameddinah [or click here]

Dolores O’Riordan and her husband Don Burton have won a lawsuit against a Limerick window company, the UK’s The Sun reports.

The Burtons hired Four Seasons Conservatories, a company run by brothers Brian and Anthony Fitzgerald to do work in the couple’s Killmallock home before it sold in 2004. However, the job was unsatisfactory and the Burtons ended up taking the matter to court.

Now the brothers must pay 46,582 Euro ($59,000 US) to the couple, which includes a hefty 35,155 Euro in legal fees.

Anthony Fitzgerald said, “We have gone through with appeals but that is too late now. This only started out as a small amount of money originally.”

Source: The Sun (UK)

Dolores O’Riordan celebrates her 35th birthday today. Happy birthday Dolores, and best wishes from all the fans here at Zombieguide.

Pope Benedict XVI has cancelled the Vatican Christmas Concert (”Concerto di Natale in Vaticano”), reportedly saying that he doesn’t like pop music, and prefers Bach and Mozart instead.

Dolores O’Riordan performed there three times in recent years, in 2001, 2002, and last year, 2005, her most recent public performance.

The change is little surprise, as some artists (including Dolores) were reportedly disappointed last year when Benedict didn’t bother to meet the artists.

When Hot Press asked Dolores about the new pope last year, she said, “John Paul used to work the crowd a bit whereas Bennys only new in the gig she says, laughing. He probably needs a few lessons and a pair of shades from Bono!

Not all is lost, though, as a di erent organization has agreed to start an alternate Christmas concert, and to move it to the city of Montecarlo.

Other prominent artists at past concerts included Andrea Bocelli, Tom Jones, Dionne Warwick, Josh Groban, Dee Dee Bridgewater, The Corrs, Lionel Richie, and (infamously) Lauryn Hill.

Thanks to Luca for the tip.

Source: La Stampa

The website for Toronto’s Metalworks Studios has posted the names of seven songs that Dolores O’Riordan recorded there, three of which are previously unknown:

• “Without You”
• “Playground”
• “Forever”
• “Apple of My Eye”
  
• “Letting Go”
  
• “In the Garden”
  
• “Vadim’s Theme”

Chris Crerar was the second engineer on all tracks.

Demos of “In the Garden” and “Letting Go” leaked on the Zombieguide Forums last October. It was previously revealed that “Apple of My Eye” was mixed by Tim Palmer. “Vadim’s Theme” appears to be an alternate title for “Angel’s Go to Heaven,” the theme song from the movie Evilenko. Vadim is the name of a main character in the movie.

It’s difficult to judge exactly when these songs were recorded. Given that “Angels Go to Heaven” seems to have been recorded in 2003, and that the title “Apple of My Eye” surfaced in early 2004, perhaps some of these songs are from that period.

More on Dolores O’Riordan’s solo material as we know it. Thanks to Paddy for the news.

Zombieguide reader Giovanni Denuzzo has sent in an audience-recorded video of Dolores O’Riordan’s “new” version of “Linger” and her “Adeste Fideles” duet with Gian Luca Terranova as performed tonight at the Vatican Christmas Concert.

Giovanni writes, “This is Adeste Fideles in which Dolores sings with the tenor. This song was very amazing. Linger has been performed in a slower way and the rythm was like swing… very sweet and particular. Dolores seemed to be in great shape and performed these two song almost at the end of the concert. She took part to the first song of the concert ‘White Christmas’ with the rest of the artists. When the concert ended I tried to catch her but it was impossible… I’ll try to find her today in the centre of Rome… probably she’ll do shopping.. Sorry for the poor quality, but I only had my phone.”

Excuse the poor quality, but it should give you an idea of what new version sounds like: a slightly slower tempo and some di erent melody arrangements, but still very much recognizable as the “Linger” we know and love. Don’t forget we’ll have professional-quality recordings when the concert broadcasts on Italian Canal 5 on Christmas Eve.

Click here to download the new version of “Linger” (3 mb, 3GP file format, play it with Quicktime) [LINK NO LONGER AVAILABLE]
Click here to download “Adeste Fideles” with Gian Luca Terranova (2 mb, 3GP file format) [LINK NO LONGER AVAILABLE]

Thanks to Giovanni for the videos. If anyone else has photos or news from the Vatican Christmas Concert, please send it in!

Source: Exclusive

CranberriesItalia has posted more photos of Dolores from yesterday’s press conference at the Vatican. Check them out below.

In the meantime, we will have first photos of tonight’s Vatican Christmas Concert up very soon.

The first professional photos from Dolores O’Riordan’s performance tonight at the Vatican Christmas Concert have begun coming in.

Below, you can see Dolores performing “Linger” alone in a tight black dress with transparent long sleeves, covered with a a shaggy black vest. Then, in her duet with Gian Luca Terranova, she performed without the vest.

If you’ve spotted more photos around the ‘net, please send them in.

CranberriesItalia has a first-hand report of today’s press conference for the Vatican Christmas Concert, where Dolores O’Riordan got to talk a little bit about tomorrow’s performance and also her forthcoming solo album.

Dolores confirmed that her debut solo CD will release in late spring, either May or June of 2006. She confirmed that The Cranberries are currently separated, but did not rule out a future reunion. She told the journalists present, “This is a moment where all of us really want to experience new ways of making music and new ways of expressing what we feel inside. I absolutely am not against playing
together with the band in the future, but right now we have no plans.”

Orchestra conductor Renato Serio introduced Dolores, saying that since this is her third time at the Vatican, she is considered “one of the family.”

CranberriesItalia got a chance to speak briefly with Gian Luca Terranova (pictured), who will duet tomorrow with Dolores on “Adeste Fideles.” Terranova admitted to “loving Dolores’s voice and her way of performing pieces in a unique and intimate way. [It’s] an attitude and a way of singing that many Italian singers have often tried to imitate.”

According to the program, Dolores will be singing “Linger” and “Adeste Fideles” as reported on Wednesday. CranberriesItalia writes that Dolores will sing “Linger” because “she wants to consider it an homage to all the fans of The Cranberries and also an auspicious song for the future.” Lastly, the program confirms that Dolores will take part in an ensemble performance of “White Christmas” with all artists present.

Zombieguide will have the lastest photos and media from the Vatican Christmas Concert over the next 24 hours. If you have a link or photos, send them in!

Source: CranberriesItalia

AGE News reports that Dolores O’Riordan will sing “Adeste Fideles” and “Linger” again this year for the Vatican Christmas Concert.

These are the same two songs that Dolores sang at her last performance at the Vatican in 2002. However, AGE reports that we can expect the new performance to be somewhat different.

For starters, “Adeste Fideles” will be a duet with Italian tenor Gian Luca Terranova. In addition to being a singer, Terranova is known in Italy as a songwriter and playwright. Terranova has written the lyrics to music in several Italian musicals.

More intriguing, perhaps, is that AGE reports that Dolores will deliver a stripped-down version of “Linger” with “new, particularly bare and essential vocals.” We’re not sure exactly what this means yet, but we only have to wait until the Vatican performance on Saturday to find out.

Italian TV channel Canal 5 and radio station RTL 102.5 will record the entire concert and broadcast it on Christmas Eve in Italy at 21:00.

We’ll have more news as it happens.

Source: AGE News

Former Therapy? member Graham Hopkins isn’t the only drummer contributing to Dolores O’Riordan’s solo album — in a new interview, former Triumph drummer Gil Moore says he has also recorded some new songs with Dolores.

The drummer told Greentoe.net, “I played a couple of tracks for Dolores O’Riordan on her new album. She is a great musician and a great friend.”

Moore owns Metalworks Studios outside of Toronto, where The Cranberries recorded much of Bury the Hatchet and where Dolores has recorded several tracks for her forthcoming solo album. He and Dolores have been friends for several years, as Moore’s wife gave birth just before Dolores gave birth to Taylor in 1997.

Source: Greentoe.net

Hot Press today posted the first bits of a new interview with Dolores O’Riordan, who reveals that she is finishing up her solo album, due in mid- 2006.

Dolores says her forthcoming solo album is the most “dark and personal” album that she’s ever written. She emphasizes that she could have only written this album alone, saying, “You might think, ‘Oh, that’s the same singer’, but otherwise it’s completely di erent to the Cranberries. Lyrically too, you wouldn’t have written something as dark and personal as that with the boys.”

Dolores expects the as-yet-untitled album to release in late spring/early summer 2006 and will be followed up by a world tour.

“I’ve just done a week’s worth of recording in Dublin’s Pulse Studios, which is the third or fourth session we’ve done,” she says. “Other bits of it were recorded in LA, and Metalworks in Toronto. I’d start the songs o at home on piano and then bring a programmer to the house to take care of the Pro- Tools side of things. Once I had three or four songs like that I’d go into a bigger studio with my musicians.”

Her musicians include Cranberries live backup guitarist Steve Demarchi, Graham Hopkins on drums, and bassist Marco Mendoza, whose resume includes Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake, and Ted Nugent.

“Graham I love for his energy and Marco, who’s been friends with my husband for 15 or 20 years, creates the most amazing things. He’s a Mexican dude, so he’s got that Latin rhythm thing going on as well as the rock. The main guitarist is Steve Demarchi, who used to do live session work with the Cranberries,” she adds.

Dolores confirms that “Black Widow,” a song that she originally recorded in 2003, will finally see release on the album: “There’s a very intricate and eerie song on it, ‘The Black Widow,’ which is about watching my husband’s mum die of cancer. There’s another one, ‘Letting Go,’ which leaked on to the internet and made me realise how out of control this piracy thing’s got.”

Hot Press also confirms that Dolores will be making her way to the Vatican on December 3, to perform for Pope Benedict XVI. “It’s my third concert and second Pope! There are about a thousand people on stage, including the Vatican Orchestra, so the vibe’s amazing,” she enthuses.

Is Benedict as rockin’ as John Paul? “John Paul used to work the crowd a bit whereas Benny’s only new in the gig,” she says, laughing. “He probably needs a few lessons and a pair of shades of Bono!”

Hot Press also teases that that they have details of her (new?) collaboration with Angelo Badalamenti, but for that, you’ll have to pick up the next print issue of Hot Press. Badalamenti said last year that he wanted to work with her to create “another kind of Dolores O’Riordan.” We’ll have the details on that as soon as we get it.

In the meantime, if somebody can send the full article from Hot Press’s site, please send it in!

Source: Hot Press

Newspapers in Italy are reporting today that Dolores O’Riordan will make her third appearance at the Vatican Christmas Concert this year.

Major Italian newspapers Il Giornale and La Repubblica report that Dolores will be alongside performers Riccardo Cocciante, Gigi D’Alessio, Claudio Baglioni, Dolcenera, Alex Britti, Black Eyes Peas, Negramaro, Mango, Nicky Nicolai and Stefano Di Battista Quartet this year. This year’s concert will take place on December 3, 2005 and will be broadcast on Italian TV network Canale 5 and on radio network RTL 102.5 at 9:00 PM on December 24.

Dolores last performed at the concerts for Pope John Paul II in 2001 and 2002 and was said to be one of his favorite singers. This will be Dolores’s first public performance in more than a year.

This year’s concert is dubbed”Concert for East Asian Missions,” as funds from the concert will be used to build churches and fund missionaries in East Asia.

More details as the concert date approaches! Thanks to rebel for the tip.

Source: Exclusive

Two of Dolores O’Riordan’s as-yet unreleased songs leaked to the Internet today, titled “Letting Go” and “In the Garden.”

The first, “Letting Go,” was posted anonymously to the Zombieguide Forumsthis morning, and the second, “In the Garden,” came this evening. The songs are labeled as demo versions and appear to come from a 5-track preview CD. “Letting Go” is the first track from that CD. “In the Garden” is the fifth track.

With the verse “She’ll be with your father / And they will be one / In heaven, in heaven,” the song “Letting Go” appears to inspired by the death of Dolores’s mother-in-law in 2004. Mrs. Burton’s illness was cited as one of the reasons for The Cranberries’ hiatus in September of 2003.

A contrast to that slow piano ballad, “In the Garden” is a yodel-infused piece with an upbeat electronic introduction that bursts in to full guitar mode for the chorus: “You can’t come here / you can cry / you can’t come here / you know why.”

Of course this means that 3 more tracks could potentially leak soon, and if they do, you can bet Zombieguide will have the latest.

Source: Exclusive

Universal Italy is gearing up to release a revamped version of Zu & Co. (Zucchero & Co. in the US) which will include the original album, a CD release of the Live at Royal Albert Hall showcase from May 6th, 2004, and a third disc of unreleased and new duets that didn’t make it onto the original album.

Zucchero’s Ocial Website has been selling a fanclub edition Live at Royal Albert Hall CD for 10 Euros. It is unknown if the CD included in the box set will be the same one or a more extensive version.

The third disc will include new songs and songs not included on the original Zu & Co by Mark Knopfler, B.B. King, Sergio Mendes, Buddy Guy, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Paul McCartney.

Both the original album and the live disc are expected to contain Dolores O’Riordan’s duet on “Pure Love.” Dolores recorded an Italian version of the song which remains unreleased, making it a possible although unlikely candidate for the thrid disc.

The set is due to release in Italy on November 11.

Source: Un Po’ di Zucchero

“Pure Love,” Dolores O’Riordan’s duet with Italian blues man Zucchero, is now available on iTunes for a tidy 99 cents in the US.

The song is taken from Zucchero & Co., which was released in the United States on July 12th (it came out last year in Europe). Since then, the album has debuted at No. 85 on the Billboard 200, thanks to the huge promotion a orded to it by Starbucks. This is the first time Zucchero has charted in America, and one of the few times when a European rock album cracks the 200.

In other Zucchero & Co. promotion news, his o cial website has posted the TV commercial that is running in the US, and the LA Times has put up an article about the album.

Source: Un Po’ di Zucchero

Zombieguide has learned that Dolores O’Riordan originally founded Helter Limited, the company under which she is recording her solo projects, in order to open a restaurant, only later to change those plans.

Public business documents obtained by Zombieguide show that Dolores O’Riordan registered Helter Limited on February 28, 2003 in order to “carry on business as proprietors and operators
of retaurants, hotels, cafes, public houses, [and] catering establishments,” according to the registration documents. One document shows that Dolores planned to open a restaurant on Main Street in Caherconlish, Co. Limerick.

However, a month later, on March 20, 2003, Helter Ltd. filed a Special Resolution in order to change the company’s purpose. The new resolution allows Helter Ltd. to “undertake and make recordings of music whether piano or orchestral, band or other music of any kind.” The form also gives Helter Limited the permission to “manufacture, produce, and distribute… and deal in recordings in tapes, gramophone records of all kinds.” Dolores’s appearances on Songs Inspired by the Passion of
the Christ, Tripomatic Fairytales 3003, Evilenko and Zucchero & Co. have all been through Helter Ltd.

In 2000, Dolores told Hot Press magazine that she and her husband Don Burton plan to open a Japanese benihana restaurant one day.

Source: Exclusive

Concord Records yesterday put out a press release regarding the upcoming US release of Zucchero’s Zucchero & Co. on July 12. The album features Dolores O’Riordan duetting with Zucchero on “Pure Love.”

Zucchero Teams with Sheryl Crow, Sting, Eric Clapton, Macy Gray, and more for July 12 CD Release
Released by: Special Ops Media: Art Armani
2005-06-21 14:53:10
Summary:
Zucchero Teams with Sheryl Crow, Sting, Eric Clapton, Macy Gray, Miles Davis, B.B. King and more for July 12, 2005 CD Release
Website: http://www.zucchero.it For_Immediate_Release:
Internationally acclaimed Italian superstar Adelmo Fornaciari, known more commonly to his legions of fans as Zucchero, has thrilled audiences worldwide with his pop and blues-infused style for nearly 25 years. He has sold millions of albums in his native country, throughout Europe and beyond, and has received numerous awards and accolades. He has also become a favorite singing partner to some of the most popular artists in the world, from Eric Clapton, Miles Davis, and Sting, to B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, and Sheryl Crow. American audiences first heard Zucchero’s thrilling vocal talents in a televised performance with Luciano Pavarotti at the 1998 GRAMMY® Awards.
For his Concord Records / Starbucks Hear MusicTM debut, Zucchero & Co., the multi-platinum pop sensation delved into his deep catalog of stunning duet performances and then rearranged, reproduced, and, in some cases, resang them for a fresh, contemporary feel. The tracks include an historic recording of “Dune Mosse” with Miles Davis from 1988, and a new version of “Senza Una Donna” (Without A Woman) with Paul Young that originally topped the charts in almost every European country, as well as the U.S., when it was released in 1991. Other collaborations to make the cut for this new, “best of the best” CD include: Solomon Burke, Vanessa Carlton, Eric Clapton, Sheryl Crow, Macy Gray, John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, Cheb Mami, Maná, Luciano Pavarotti / Andrea Bocelli, Dolores O’Riordan, and Sting.
Zucchero and a few of his friends?Eric Clapton, Dolores O’Riordan (of The Cranberries), Solomon Burke and Pavarotti, among them? celebrated the release of the CD last year in a performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Critics from the Sunday Express wrote, “The audience would have gladly partied with Zucch all night,” a sentiment no doubt often expressed in Italy where he’s widely credited with introducing his countrymen to the blues. “In Italy, rhythm & blues and soul music was not very popular in the 1960s, when I was growing up,” explains Zucchero. “Fortunately, there was an American from Memphis who was studying at the University in Bologna that lived close by to our house. He introduced me to Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, and all the Stax recording artists. He played guitar, and we spent a lot of time playing together. Discovering that music was a shock to me?it was like a light. I’m Italian so I love Puccini. But I love the blues, too.”
Zucchero’s first instrument was the organ, which his local priest taught him to play in exchange for odd jobs around the church. A longing to be part of a band led him to the guitar and eventually to singing. Soon, Zucchero, whose name translates to “sugar” in Italian, started his own bands to introduce others to the wonderful music that had so inspired and excited him. At first he was dismissed by Italian record labels as having the “wrong kind of voice,” but, by the mid-1980s, he was touring and recording with such well-known musicians as Randy Jackson, David Sancious, Brian Auger, Narada Michael Walden, Corrado Rustici, Joe Cocker, Al DiMeola, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ray Charles, and others too numerous to mention. In fact, Zucchero’s entire musical trajectory reads like a “Who’s Who” of the music industry? culling just 14 cuts for Zucchero & Co was a major feat and took over two-years to complete.
Miles Davis first heard Zucchero’s tune “Dune Mosse” on Italian radio while on tour. “He had never heard of me but liked the song so much that he wanted to do a duet. I was in the Maldives at the time and got a call at 4 a.m.,” explains the singer. “It was in the middle of the night so I didn’t believe them at first. It was such an honor and such an amazing opportunity. I was in a studio in New York the following week.” He continues, “When Miles arrived, he didn’t say hello, he didn’t smile. He just went into the studio where I was playing the piano, waiting and said, ‘Yeah, show me the key of the song, play the key.’ Then I tried to escape and leave him alone, and he said, ‘Where are you going, you have to stay here. I need your energy.’ So I was just sitting there and was a little bit scared. He played like an angel.”
The late blues icon John Lee Hooker is featured in one of his last recording sessions on “I Lay Down.” “I was writing this song and thought it needed a very ancient blues voice. I immediately wanted to work with John Lee Hooker, but thought it would be impossible. So we moved on,” says Zucchero. “I was recording in Sausalito, where the manager of the studio just happened to know Roy Rogers, John Lee’s guitarist. We called him and he called John Lee to ask him to listen to the song. The next day, he came to the studio in a big limo, dressed very elegantly. He was old and thin but he still played fantastically. I just let him do what he wanted. Two months later, he passed away.”
Another blues legend, B.B. King, adds his unmistakable flair to “Hey Man – Sing A Song,” and one of the fathers of soul, Solomon Burke is featured on “Diavolo In Me – A Devil In Me,” although he insisted on rewriting some of the lyrics. “Solomon said to me, ‘I can’t sing this song, I’m a Bishop now,’ and I said, ‘OK, but listen to the song before you decide,’ and then he sent me some beautiful lyrics. Instead of ‘I got a devil in me,’ he wrote, ‘go out of me devil.’ It works fantastically. He’s still dancing and he’s got the face of a child,” says Zucchero of his long-time friend.
The gospel- and opera-influenced tune, “Miserere,” was first recorded with Luciano Pavarotti in the early 1990s. This song? along with “Senza Una Donna (Without a Woman)”?are two of Zucchero’s best known and most often covered tunes. The session with Pavarotti came about after a moment of artistic high drama when the pop star threatened his friend. “I told him, ‘If you don’t do this song, I will burn the tape, because without you on it, there is no reason for it to exist,” says Zucchero. “I made a move to the fireplace and he said, ‘But I don’t know how to do this song. I have never played with a pop artist.’ I threw the tape on the fire and Luciano, not knowing this was only a copy, agreed to record the song.”
Zucchero has often been credited with discovering the now great Andrea Bocelli. The tenor was an unknown artist when the Italian superstar asked him to record the demo for “Miserere.” The song became a big hit, but with Pavarotti unavailable to perform on tour, Zucchero invited Bocelli to accompany him. “I told everyone about him. I said to PolyGram, ‘You must sign this guy,’” he recalls. “I couldn’t get anyone interested in him, so I asked my manager to help.” Bocelli is now a multi-platinum artist and one of the world’s most popular singers. Zucchero didn’t think twice, therefore, about reproducing the track for Zucchero & Co. to feature both tenors.
“A Wonderful World“ (featuring Eric Clapton), “Blue” (a song co- written by U2 front man Bono and sang with Sheryl Crow), “Pure Love” (with Dolores O’Riordan), “Muoio Per Te” (with Sting), “Like The Sun – From Out of Nowhere” (with Macy Gray and Je Beck), “Cosi Celeste” (with Algerian artist Cheb Mami, who gained fame when Sting featured him on “Desert Rose”), “Baila Morena” (with Mexican pop-rockers Maná), and a popular 1980s pop tune by The Korgis, “Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime,” (with Vanessa Carlton) round out this eclectic and exciting disc. Each tune on Zucchero & Co. o ers a di erent facet of the superstar’s long and interesting musical journey, and the caliber of each artist is testament to how widely regarded and admired he is worldwide.
Perhaps most indicative of Zucchero’s not-so-underground “cult” status among music lovers is an anecdote in an article written last year in London’s Sunday Express. Sting invited Zucchero to a house party where the star-studded guest list included Peter Gabriel, Tom Hanks, and Dustin Ho man. Upon meeting the vocalist, Ho man, it is reported in the article, fell to his knees, commenced singing one of Zucchero’s songs in Italian, and finished by exclaiming, “Zucchero, you are God!” before confessing he owned all of his recordings!
Zucchero Teams with Sheryl Crow, Sting, Eric Clapton, Macy Gray, and more for July 12 CD Release
Website: http://www.zucchero.it
For more details: 235 Park Ave South 5the Floor
New York, NY
10003

Source: Free-press-release.com

Starbucks Co ee and Concord Records yesterday announced a non- exclusive agreement to sell “Zucchero & Co.” at over 4,400 Starbucks stores in North America when it releases on July 12, in addition to the normal music retail outlets.

“Zucchero & Co.” was released worldwide in 2004 as “Zu & Co.” and has already sold more than a million copies. The CD contains Zucchero and Dolores O’Riordan’s duet, “Pure Love.”

The partnership could mean big sales for “Zucchero & Co.,” which is being marketed as a jazz album in the US. The last Starbucks partnership was for Ray Charles’s Grammy Award-winning “Genius Loves Company.” Charles’s album went to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in March of this year and has sold over 3 million copies in the US alone — 745,000 of which were sold in Starbucks stores.

Smells like good news brewing.

Source: Billboard

Zucchero’s duets CD “Zu & Co.,” which was released a year ago in most parts of the world, will finally be released in the US on July 12 by Concord Records, according to Universal Music Distribution.

The CD contains Dolores O’Riordan and Zucchero’s duet of “Pure Love.” The CD also contains duets with Miles Davis, Vanessa Carlton, John Lee Hooker, Sheryl Crow, Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Ronan Keating, and Paul Young, among others. No word yet if the US release will have any changes from the international release.

For much more on “Zu & Co.,” check the news archives.

Source: Exclusive

Former Therapy? drummer Graham Hopkins is collaborating with Dolores O’Riordan on her solo album, which is coming “soon” according to one of his other collaboraters. Hopkins will be playing drums on O’Riordan’s solo album.

Hopkins has played percussion on several big Irish albums, including those of The Frames and Gemma Hayes. His collaborations are so numerous that talk show host David O’Doherty teased him, “You’re probably the most thanked person after God in liner notes in the world with the amount of records that you play on.” Hopkins added that in between live gigs with his band Halite, “I’m drumming with various people doing bits and that and just generally having fun.”

This is the first news of Dolores in the studio in Ireland. Most of the past news came out of her sessions at Metalworks Studios in Toronto.

Source: Paula Toledo

“It’s completely different to the Cranberries – very experimental and out there. A couple of tracks have a David Lynch movie soundtrack feel, but they’re fully developed songs,” Dolores told Hot Press magazine in 2003. “Evilenko” is the fruition of those solo pieces.

In fact, Angelo Badalamenti is a long-time collaborator with David Lynch; and together, the team masterfully created the soundtracks to films such as Twin Peaks and Mulholland Drive.

“Angels Go to Heaven,” the opening track to the “Evilenko” soundtrack, sets the ominous tone for the rest of Angelo Badalamenti’s haunting 11-track soundtrack to the film. As the synth notes begin to play, Dolores O’Riordan’s airy aahs drop in, rivaling the resonance of the trembling vibrato of the synthetic organ pipes. Immediately, there is a contrast to the cold, eerie synth as the humane element in Dolores’s voice is introduced — a contrast of indifference versus compassion that will last throughout the song, if not the entire soundtrack.

But make no mistake, “Angels Go to Heaven” is by no means the warm, sweet Dolores O’Riordan that we have heard in familiar ballads such as “Dreaming My Dreams.” This is O’Riordan sounding more tortured and troubled than she has ever before comitted to tape. “Adiuva me, Sanctus Spiritus,” (“Help me, Holy Spirit,”) she meanders in a melody that is more Gregorian than modern. Indeed, there are a number of parallels that can be heard here with her last film project, singing Schubert’s “Ave Maria” for the Songs Inspired by the Passion of the Christ soundtrack. But this composition is Badalamenti and O’Riordan’s; and it is every bit as chill-inducing as as Shubert’s.

The song is almost too appropriate for a suspense film about the Ukranian serial killer Andrei Chikatilo, who targeted at least 53 people, mostly children, over the span of 12 years. “No way out, no comfort for those who lost love… no way out, this is eternal pain,” she pleads in a slow, calculated pace until it erupts into the operatic “Adiuva me, Sanctus Spiritus,” where O’Riordan shows her vocal prowess unlike ever before.

Some of the tracks on the album consist only of slow, unwavering synth with English dialogue as a blanket. Granted not every track in a film score can be a highlight; and here, it is only the presence of the intense dialogue that makes some of these tracks worth a listen.

“Vadmin’s Neverending Quest,” track four, is a departure from the foreboding synth, with a guitar interlude and more orchestra synth. This track provides a glimmer into what is otherwise a dark soundscape.

Track 5, “The Woodstrip/There’s No Way Out,” is O’Riordan’s second appearance on the soundtrack. This time, her voice is mixed with a grim reading of the names and dates of Evilenko’s victims. Phrases like “11 years old” and “the fourth of April” puncture the surface, piercing through O’Riordan’s vocals for a dramatic effect.

The “Theme from Evilenko” is an instrumental version of “Angels Go to Heaven.” It is a lighter, orchestral take on O’Riordan’s vocal melody. It begins with a flute and broadens as large, cinematic strings steal the focus.

Though she is not credited on the song’s tracklisting, O’Riordan also appears on track 10, “The End of a Madman.” The main melody here serves as a compliment to “Angels Go to Heaven” without being a reprise. Dolores’s “adiuva me” resonates faintly in the background. To correspond with the film’s drama, there is a sense of comforting finality to this track as the mood revolves around the cinematic emotion of Evilenko being caught and punished.

As a final treat, the soundtrack ends with “Angels Go to Heaven (Full Mix),” a beefed up orchestral mix of the title track. The electric bass and shimmering cymbal are a few of the welcome additions that make this a suitable end for the soundtrack. Perhaps the most telling moment, however, is when O’Riordan exhausts her final, low “oooh“. Here, a scintillating cymbal rises up; and “Evilenko” comes to a close.

The full tracklisting is:

1. Angels Go to Heaven (Featuring Dolores O’Riordan)
2. Evilenko’s Dark Fairy Tale
3. Inside The Lion’s Mouth
4. Vadim’s Neverending Quest
5. The Woodstrip/There’s No Way Out (Featuring Dolores O’Riordan)
6. Holocaust of the Children
7. Theme from Evilenko (“Angels Go to Heaven” instrumental version)
8. Please Don’t Look Into His Eyes
9. Russian Folk Prayer
10. The End of a Madman (Featuring Dolores O’Riordan, not credited on tracklisting)
11. Angels Go to Heaven (Full Mix) (Featuring Dolores O’Riordan)

The “Evilenko” soundtrack is available now in Italy on the Minus Habens Soundtrack Collection label. We also have an extra copy of the soundtrack available on eBay if anyone is interested.