Sinead O'Connor

DISCOGRAPHY

The Lion and the Cobra (1987) 8/10

I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got (1990) 6/10

Am I Not Your Girl? (1992) 4/10

Universal Mother (1994) 5/10

Faith and Courage (2000) 5/10

Sean-Nos Nua (2002)

Throw Down Your Arms (2004)

Theology (2007)

How About I Be Me (2012)

I'm Not Bossy I'm the Boss (2014) 4/10

O'Connor sneaks in some of the most intense vocals in pop music for The Lion and the Cobra. The tragic break-up ballad Troy serves to place her as one of Rock's great singer/songwriters by its gut-wrenching performance, suspenseful composition, and engaging lyricism. Meanwhile, more Madonna-esque rhythms emerge in songs like Mandika, Jerusalem, and Put Em On Me to service mainstream tastes, yet none depart from O'Connor's spectacular dynamics as a vocalist.

Some guitar-arrangements imply a taste of psychedelia in Jackie and Just Call Me Joe. The former, Jackie, begins acapella until soft guitar feedback creeps in and gradually emphasizes its presence until the end, where a climactic barge of backing vocals break the song into a triumphant and warlike chant. The latter, Just Call Me Joe, could very nearly function as a precursor to shoegaze with its thick, fuzzy, and mellow guitar riff paired with lush, melodic whispers.

Kathryn Ferguson dignifies O'Connor's rise as an artist and downfall in the public eye following her outspoken political statements in Nothing Compares. It serves as an intimate biography of her traumatic family history, her unflinching political activism, and a persuasive case study of public sexism and misogyny that perpetrated O'Connor's entire career. The film omits any recordings of O'Connor's actual version of the song Nothing Compares 2 U due to a rejection from the Prince estate.

ROCKUMENTARIES

Kathryn Ferguson: Nothing Compares (2022) 6.5/10

EXTERNAL LINKS

• Troy live in 1988