Sinéad O'Connor's class compilation

It’s been some years since the compactly sexy-but-opinionated chanteuse from Ireland, Sinéad Connor, retired from music business; she went to become a priestess and wowed never to return to music. [There is a hope she may change her mind but then, there’s been a rumour about Kate Bush’s imminent return for a while.] Nevertheless, why is this woman retired?

'Collaborations' is a collection of cuts dedicated to the unique collaborative work of this gifted vocalist [and songwriter, let’s not belittle this]. And, Sinéad O'Connor’s done some sterling collabs! The excellence of her four studio albums notwithstanding, many of her most compelling performances have been reserved for other people's tracks. In working outside the usual parameters, Sinéad has used these collaborations to explore different genres and demonstrate the full scope of her awesome ability.

The songs represented here are by no means a definitive guide to Sinéad's extra-curricular activities. Still, gathering together some of her most moving performances, this album reiterates O'Connor's restless spirit and vast array of ‘partners’: juxtaposing trip-hop with the widescreen rock, the reggae-scented pop and the world-beat, dance tunes and covering ‘punk’ legend Ian Dury.

Even as she was being acclaimed by NME as the first new star of 1988 - “a Celtic rude girl between Kate Bush and Siouxsie Sioux” - O'Connor had already begun recording with other artists. Back in 1986, before she had even completed her own debut, Sinéad worked with U2 guitarist The Edge on 'Heroine', an ethereal song from his soundtrack to the movie ‘Captive’. And, 1997 found her working with the band again, duetting with Bono on 'I'm Not Your Baby'; a more experimental, reverb-heavy piece from the Wim Wenders film ‘The End Of Violence’.

Another figure who features regularly in Sinéad's collaborations is former Specials singer Terry Hall. The pair got together in 1987 when O'Connor supplied the vocals on 'Monkey In Winter', the B-side to a single by Hall's then band The Colourfield. They were later reunited on a kitsch send-up of Dana's 1970 Eurovision Song Contest winner 'All Kinds Of Everything' that closes this collection.

From the 90s, comes the hypnotic, Eastern-tinged 'Visions Of You' by Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart, in which O'Connor's spectral vocals were counterpointed by Wobble's mesmerising [and soulful] bass playing. There was also, in 1992, a collaboration with Peter Gabriel, on ‘Blood Of Eden’, a dark duet in which Sinéad's soothing chorus offered a response to Gabriel's plaintive prayers.

Brit-dance act Bomb The Bass‘ ‘Empire‘ [in 1995] was Sinéad’s first foray into reggae. In duetting with reggae poet Benjamin Zephaniah and collaborating with Bomb The Bass's Tim Simenon (who had co-produced ‘Universal Mother’ a year earlier), Sinéad immediately sounded at home with a genre whose spacious feel was well suited to her haunting vocal. It was no surprise when she explored reggae again on '1000 Mirrors', a 2003 single by Asian Dub Foundation.

She dipped into World-beat again by duetting with Afro Celt Sound System on 1999's 'Release' and appeared alongside Robbie Williams, Paul McCartney and Madness on the 2001 Ian Dury tribute album ‘Brand New Boots And Panties’, singing a jazzy cover of Dury's 'Wake Up And Make Love With Me'. [And it is bloody hormone inveigling!]

She also joined forces with Natacha Atlas to provide stunning vocals on Ghostland's atmospheric 'Guide Me God', a track which was remixed to become an international dance hit in 2002. Another notable dance-orientated collaborations from the same period included 'Harbour', a contemplative piece from Moby's ‘18’.

Sinéad: a unique bird… ahem, a songbird.

8.3/10