The Cranberries' second album,
No Need to Argue, elevated them to the ranks of multimillion-selling stars. Evidently, that gave them the confidence to jettison producer
Stephen Street and work with
Aerosmith/
Van Halen producer
Bruce Fairbairn for their third album,
To the Faithful Departed.
Fairbairn helped
the Cranberries abandon their more atmospheric, trance qualities, accentuating
Dolores O'Riordan's lyrics.
The Cranberries shine on their ballads, although the new songs aren't quite as affecting as their older work.
–
Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi