Are You Listening? is Dolores O'Riordan's debut solo album. It was released on May 4 in the Republic of Ireland, May 7, 2007 in Europe and May 15, 2007, in North America. "Ordinary Day" was the first single was released in late April. The video was shot in Prague. "When We Were Young" was released as the second single.

As of January 2008, the album has sold near 350,000 copies worldwide. O'Riordan embarked on the Are You Listening Tour, on May 2007.

Band members

*Dolores O'Riordan - vocals

*Steve DeMarchi - guitar, backing vocals

*Denny DeMarchi - keyboards, guitars, flute, wind instruments, backing vocals

*Marco Mendoza - bass guitar, backing vocals

*Graham Hopkins - drums, percussion, backing vocals

Charts

Category:Dolores O'Riordan albums

Category:2007 albums

Category:English-language albums

Category:Sanctuary Records albums

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Artist/Band Information

Dolores Mary Eileen O'Riordan (born 6 September 1971) is an Irish musician, singer and songwriter. She led The Cranberries to worldwide success and fame for 13 years before the band took a hiatus in 2003. Her first solo album Are You Listening? was released in May 2007. Her second solo album No Baggage was released in August 2009.

Early life

Dolores O'Riordan was the youngest of seven in Ballybricken, Limerick, Ireland. She is a lapsed Catholic, no longer attending Mass. She went to Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJ in South Circular Road, Limerick. She was there when she wrote the single 'Linger'.

Career

1989–2003; 2009-present: The Cranberries

In 1990 O'Riordan auditioned and won the role of lead singer for a band called The Cranberry Saw Us (later changed to The Cranberries).

The band released five albums: Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? (1993), No Need to Argue (1994), To the Faithful Departed (1996), Bury the Hatchet (1999) and Wake Up and Smell the Coffee (2001) and a greatest-hits compilation entitled Stars - The Best of 1992 - 2002 (2002), before they went on hiatus in 2003.

Throughout the '90s, O'Riordan was recognized for her changing hairstyles, from shoulder-length to very short crop in myriad colors and shades.. Doloresoriordan.ru. Retrieved on 2010-11-26. She usually performs barefoot on stage.. Doloresoriordan.ru. Retrieved on 2010-11-26.

There was a rumor that she had been asked to act in and compose music for 1997 movie Titanic, but had refused due to the birth of her first son, Taylor. Dolores denied it in an interview.. Doloresoriordan.ru (2007-07-05). Retrieved on 2010-11-26. Homewer, she was featured in the song "God Be With You", a song composed for 1997 movie The Devil's Own. The score of the film is actually composed by Titanic composer James Horner.

On August 25, 2009, while promoting her solo album release "No Baggage" in New York City on 101.9 RXP radio, O'Riordan announced the reunion of The Cranberries for a world tour. The tour will start in North America in mid November, followed by South America in mid January 2010 and Europe in March 2010.. Also touring with the original members of The Cranberries, is musician Denny DeMarchi who played the keyboard for O'Riordan's solo albums.. The band will be playing songs from O'Riordan's solo albums, many of The Cranberries classic hits as well as some new songs the band has been working on. On June 9, 2010 the Cranberries performed at the Special Olympics opening ceremony at Thomand Park in Limerick. This was the first time the band performed in their native city for over fifteen years.

2003–present: Solo career

It has been said that in 2003 O'Riordan was to feature on the soundtrack to Spider-Man 2 with the song "Black Widow", which is featured on her first solo album "Are You Listening?". However, she dismissed this as an unfounded Internet rumor during an interview in 2007.LiveDaily Interview, http In 2004 O'Riordan appeared with the Italian artist Zucchero on the album Zu & Co., with the song "Pure Love". The album also featured other artists such as Sting, Sheryl Crow, Luciano Pavarotti, Miles Davis, John Lee Hooker, Macy Gray and Eric Clapton. The same year she worked with composer Angelo Badalamenti on the Evilenko soundtrack, providing vocals on several tracks, including "Angels Go The Heaven", the movie theme.

In 2005 she appeared on the Jam & Spoon's album Tripomatic Fairytales 3003 as a guest vocalist on the track "Mirror Lover". O'Riordan also made a cameo appearance in the Adam Sandler comedy Click, released on 23 June 2006, as a wedding singer performing an alternate version of The Cranberries' song "Linger", set to strings.

The first single, “Ordinary Day”, was produced by BRIT Awards winner, Youth, whose previous credits include The Verve, Embrace, Primal Scream, U2 and Paul McCartney.

O'Riordan made an appearance live on the The Late Late Show (Irish television) on 20 April 2007.

Are You Listening? was released on 4 May 2007 in the Republic of Ireland. It was subsequently released in Europe on 7 May 2007, and in North America on 15 May 2007, with "Ordinary Day" as its first single, released in late April. The video for "Ordinary Day" was shot in Prague. In August "When We Were Young" was released as the second single lifted from the album.

On 19 November 2007 she canceled the remainder of her European Tour (Lille, Paris, Luxembourg, Warsaw and Prague) due to illness. O'Riordan went on to perform a few small American club gigs in December, including Des Moines, Nashville, and a well-received free show in Charlottesville, Virginia. On the last day of 2008, it was announced on her official website that her second album, No Baggage, featuring eleven tracks, would be released on 24 August 2009.

O'Riordan is set to make her acting debut in the upcoming David Grieco film, 'Secrets of Love'. Principal photography was set to begin spring 2009. "Secrets of Love is a story about obsession, concerning the mysterious murder of singer Sarah Blisset (played by O'Riordan).

*Dolores O'Riordan – vocals

*Denny DeMarchi – keyboards, guitars, flute, wind instruments, backing vocals

*Steve DeMarchi – guitar, backing vocals

*Graham Hopkins – drums, percussion, backing vocals

*Marco Mendoza – bass guitar, backing vocals

Personal life

On 18 July 1994, O'Riordan married Don Burton, the former tour manager of Duran Duran. Their first child, Taylor Baxter, was born on 23 November 1997, during the break between the releases of To the Faithful Departed and Bury the Hatchet. Molly Leigh was born on 27 January 2001, and Dakota Rain on 10 April 2005.

In 1998 she bought a 61 hectare (150 acre) stud farm, called Riversfield Stud, located in Kilmallock, County Limerick. She lived there for six years before selling it in 2004.

In 2006 O'Riordan was listed among the ten richest women in Ireland.

In 2009 O'Riordan was awarded the Honorary Patronage of the University Philosophical Society, Trinity College Dublin.

O'Riordan lived in Howth, County Dublin with her husband and their four children (one is from a previous relationship of Burton's). The family once divided their time between homes in Dublin and a log cabin located in Buckhorn, Ontario, Canada that was bought in 1994.. Doloresoriordan.ie. Retrieved on 2010-11-26. In 2009, her family moved full time to their home in Buckhorn.. Thepeterboroughexaminer.com. Retrieved on 2010-11-26.

Although raised as a Roman Catholic, O'Riordan no longer practices. She identifies as an unconventional Christian. She is also an admirer of the late Pope John Paul II. After meeting him inside Vatican City, O'Riordan remarked: " was lovely, very saintly. I was mad about him. I thought he really cared for the poor and he loved to meet the people. I saw him when he came to Limerick, when I was a kid. So it was pretty mindblowing to take my mum out to meet him."http

Discography

Studio albums

Solo

*Are You Listening? (2007)

*No Baggage (2009)

The Cranberries

*Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? (1993)

*No Need to Argue (1994)

*To the Faithful Departed (1996)

*Bury the Hatchet (1999)

*Wake Up and Smell the Coffee (2001)

Other appearances

*Moose "Soon Is Never Soon Enough" (1992) (backing vocals)

*Touch of Oliver "Carousel" (1993) (backing vocals)

*Jah Wobble "The Sun Does Rise" (1994) (duet)

*"God Be With You" on The Devil's Own soundtrack (1997) (solo track)

*"It's Only Rock 'n' Roll" (various artists benefit single for A Children's Promise, Rolling Stones cover) (1999) (vocals)

*"Ave Maria" on Songs Inspired by The Passion of the Christ (2004) (solo track)

*"Angels Go To Heaven" & "The Woodstrip/There's No Way Out" (composed by Angelo Badalamenti) on Evilenko soundtrack (2004) (vocals)

*Zucchero "Pure Love" (2004) (duet)

*Jam & Spoon "Mirror Lover" (2005) (vocals)

*Angelo Badalamenti "The Butterfly" (2006) (vocals)

*Movie, Click, dir. by Frank Coraci starring Adam Sandler. "Linger," lounge version; appeared as the singer for the band during the son's wedding reception scene (2006)

*Giuliano Sangiorgi "Senza Fiato" (2007) (duet)

*"Centipede Sisters" on Roll Play 2 digital soundtrack (2008)

*"Linger (Parodied as Jeffery Winger)" on Community (2010)

References