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Sinead O’Connor Collaborations music review
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Sinead O’Connor Collaborations
Capitol
Having invested countless hours, thoughts, and consciousness relating to, deciphering, and appreciating her complex and predominately cohesive works and lyrics, I may be somewhat biased in regards to Sinead O’Connor. However, what I have found to be true with the latest release, Collaborations, is that this is merely a minute piece to a much more impressive and grandiose puzzle. Ironically, although it is a far cry from my most preferred album, it is however an album that could be just as easily suited for an adamant or novice fan to enjoy.
Track listing:
01 Special Cases (Radio Edit) (W/Massive Attack)
02 1000 Mirrors (W/Asian Dub Foundation)
03 Empire (W/Bomb The Bass)
04 Guide Me God (W/Ghostland)
05 Visions Of You ((W/Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart)
06. Release (Album Edit) (W/Afro Celt Sound System)
07 Wake Up & Make Love With Me (W/Ian Dury's Blockheads)
08 Kingdom Of Rain (W/The The)
09 I’M Not Your Baby (W/U2)
10 Tears From The Moon (W/Conjure One)
11 Blood Of Eden (Radio Edit) (W/Peter Gabriel)
12 Harbour (W/Moby)
13 Up In Arms (W/Aslan)
14 It’S All Good (W/Damien Dempsey))
15 Heroine (Theme From "Captive") (W/The Edge Of U2)
16 Monkey In Winter (W/Colourfield)
17 All Kinds Of Everything (W/Terry Hall)
With no ego, I sincerely believe I have the ardent distinction of being a career-long fan of Sinead O’Connor. However, I still feel relatively, to almost no, confidence in trying to articulate or evaluate the unparalleled music released from this phenomenal artist. Having said that I do however feel completely confidant in my ability to relate to and appreciate her music. Her haunting vocals, passionate lyrics, and audacious style have left a matchless and timeless impression on my appreciative heart.
In addition to her substantial solitary work, in the 19-year span of her career, Sinead has whimsically collaborated and worked with an amazingly diverse lineup of musicians. That being said, there is no discernable way to seclude it to one certain genre, period, or idea in the span of her career. The overall result of this is a culmination of works, sounds, ideas, and phases that cannot be defined as a cohesive work. This unconnected release is also known as Collaborations.
The album opens with a couple of her more recent partnerships, one’s she recorded with Massive Attack and Asian Dub Foundation. The opening track, "Special Cases," has a menacing bass line and hypnotic beat to it, yet it doesn’t verge on that dreaded techno cringe. "1000 Mirrors" has a sexy and alluring beat that captivates the listener with tantalizing vocals and an inviting musical arrangement.
Track 3 "Empire" is an older release, and personally speaking, one of the more impressive highlights to the album. Featuring Bomb the Bass and reggae poet Benjamin Zephaniah, the track is passionately spoken and erotically charged. Lyrics stating "Vampire you feel the life of a pure life, Vampire you suck the life of goodness" leave me fantasizing about the undisclosed meaning behind the tantalizing lyrics.
"Visions of You" recorded in 1992 with Jah Wobble’s Invaders of the Heart, undeniably leave something to be desired. Lyrics and musical presentation are somewhat repetitive and caustic upon presentation. Then unbeknownst to the listener the following track, "Wake Up and Make Love with Me," could easily be described as pleasant and desirable. In this 2001 collaboration Sinead worked with The Blockheads and produced a recording that features inquisitive lyrics and alluring piano arrangements.
The last track on the album "All Kinds of Everything," recorded with Terry Hall, is a joyous song with heartfelt, charming and captivating lyrics. Words professing the beauty and purity of love are uniquely, innocently, and eloquently expressed: "Snowdrops and daffodils, butterflies and bees, sailboats and fisherman, things of the sea, wishing wells and wedding bells, early morning dew, all kinds of everything, remind me of you."
Regardless of past assumptions, realizations, or recognitions regarding Sinead’s work, the latest release Collaborations predominately offers a tasty sampling of her extraordinary life and talents. Although this release may only be a very limited piece of a much larger, intricate, and more profound work of art, it’s still a very worthy piece to the puzzle. What it lacks in being a stand-out, or life-changing album, it almost makes up in sheer diversity of sound and content. Although it doesn’t seem to fit together just quite right, it’s a gratifying piece that I think almost anyone can appreciate.
