Sinéad's Rasta Vibrations

by Sarah Hall
Mar 31, 2005, 12:30 PM PT

www.eonline.com

She's been a Pope-defiler, a priest, a sometime lesbian and a pop star. So, should it really surprise anyone that Sinéad O'Connor is trying her hand at the Rastafarian thing?

The Irish songbird is currently in Jamaica, recording a reggae album, producer Sly Dunbar confirmed.


Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, who together founded the Taxi record label, which has promoted the careers of artists including Black Uhuru, Ini Kamoze and Beanie Man, are coproducing the record.

The album is slated for a summer release by U.K. label Sanctuary Records, Dunbar said.

The as-yet untitled album will feature O'Connor showcasing her vocal chops on covers of classic protest numbers such as Bob Marley's "War," Peter Tosh's "Downpressor Man" and Burning Spears' "Marcus Garvey."

The move is a departure for O'Connor, who first exploded onto the music scene with her searing 1991 cover of Prince's "Nothing Compares 2 U."

More recently, she has focused on recording traditional Irish ballads. Her last album, Sean Nos Nua, was released in 2002.

Shortly thereafter, O'Connor announced that she was retiring from the music business to focus on other interests.

As has become the norm with the unpredictable artist, she seems to have reversed that decision in order to revive her career.

O'Connor's chameleon-like antics have earned her plenty of media scrutiny over the years, much to the eccentric singer's chagrin.

In 1992, she made headlines after she shredded a picture of Pope John Paul II during a performance on Saturday Night Live. Several years later, she raised eyebrows again after she announced she had been ordained as a priest in a Catholic splinter sect.

After her first marriage ended in divorce, O'Connor announced in 2000 that--surprise!--she was actually a lesbian. A year later, she apparently changed her mind and got hitched to her second husband, journalist Nick Sommerlad.

Last fall, the singer took out a full page ad in the Irish Examiner, declaring that she was tired of being "the whipping post of Ireland's media" and begging to be left alone.

The singer has claimed her upcoming recordings will incorporate some of her newfound spirituality.

"I want to at least aim my records at a more spiritualized market," O'Connor told Irish music mag Hotpress.

But don't expect the singer to return to her pop roots anytime soon--in the same interview, she blasted mainstream music for having "all the sincerity of a whore's kiss."

On second thought, given O'Connor's ever-changing outlook, we're guessing you can look for that pop album in about a year or so.

Billboard Bits: Sinead O'Connor, dB's, ATHfest



Musical pairings from throughout Irish vocalist Sinead O'Connor's career have been compiled for "Collaborations," due June 21 via Capitol/EMI. The 17-track collection is highlighted by tracks with Peter Gabriel ("Blood of Eden"), U2's Bono ("I'm Not Your Baby") and the Edge ("Heroine," from his unheralded 1986 soundtrack "Captive") and Massive Attack ("Special Cases").

"Collaborations" is rounded out by pairings with the The ("Kingdom of Rain"), the Specials' Terry Hall ("All Kings of Everything"), Moby ("Harbour"), Asian Dub Foundation ("1000 Mirrors") and Jah Wobble ("Visions of You").

In the spring of 2003, O'Connor announced she was retiring from the music business. But in an interview last month Ireland's Hot Press, she revealed she had signed a new record deal with Sanctuary and is working on three distinct new albums.

-- Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.

I guess I'm not too shocked by the reggae bend. She's talked on and off about the respect she has for Rasta. She had a reggae tinged song or two on Faith & Courage. I don't know how I feel about a whole album of that. Either way, I never tire of hearing from this woman.

But if I find her in my freezer...we're throwin' down!

RipHer2Shreds said:

Not the best choice of words, considering "throwin' down" is also a term for eating a big meal...

I just checked my freezer...

She's in there too!

FunkMistress said:

Yeah, I know. I meant fightin', but if she wants to eat a meal together I'm good for that, too. Unless it's tasteless Irish food. I love my Irish brothers and sisters, but I'm not down with the grub.

RipHer2Shreds said:

ignoring the dig at Irish "cuisine"

I was just picturing you taking Sinead out of the freezer and throwin' down on her.

FunkMistress said:

ON her?

PS - the dig on Irish cuisine came from an Irishman

RipHer2Shreds said:

Oh, okay, then we can admit it sucks. Besides potatoes. Potatoes are good a million ways, but boiled dinner and the like?

FunkMistress said:

I saw a program about a year ago on Irish foods, and for a moment I got a little less apprehensive. They were going to make potatoes and bacon, and I was thinking, "Okay this ain't gonna be so bad. Fried bacon and boiled taters? I'm good with that." Yeah, and then they boiled the bacon and fried the tatos.