SinA©ad O'Connor - She Who Dwells in the Secret Place of the Most High Shall Abide Under the Shadow of the

Sinead O’Connor really knows how to end a career. True, she’s been trying to do it since the early ‘90s, through incendiary action (ripping up a photo of Pope John Paul II on Saturday Night Live) and regularly spaced announcements of her retirement. The release of She Who Dwells comes with the caveat that it is O’Connor’s last willful act and musical testament—and, who knows, her third attempt to flee the music industry may stick. If so, it’s a shame because after nearly a decade of flailing musically, O’Connor rediscovered her true voice in 2002 with Sean-Nos Nua, an album of traditional Irish songs re-imagined in surprisingly fresh ways.

She Who Dwells (the full title is long enough to make Fiona Apple gasp for breath) is a two-CD set, but in typical O’Connor fashion it’s oddly framed. Disc one is a collection of 19 rarities and previously unreleased tracks split three very different ways. There are more traditional Irish tunes, her electronic collaborations with Massive Attack and Asian Dub Foundation, and a range of covers that includes songs written or made famous by Aretha Franklin, Gram Parsons, the B-52s, and Abba. (These latter tracks shouldn’t work, but for the best evidence they do, check out her almost Tex-Mex pop version of "Chiquitita.")

Disc two is a more traditional career-ending retrospective; it’s a 13-track recording taken from a late 2002 concert at Vicar Street Theatre in Dublin. About half the songs come from Sean-Nos Nua, with three songs each lifted off I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got and Universal Mother,. O’Connor is backed by a great band that features Irish music stalwarts Donal Lunny and Sharon Shannon. As good as they are, it’s O’Connor’s voice that stuns throughout, whether singing the Irish blues of "I Am Stretched on Your Grave" or a version of "Nothing Compares to U" that contains both flute and a stately cello solo. One hopes this isn’t the last we hear from O’Connor, but even if it is she’s left us on a pure, high note. --Keith Moerer Amazon.com

Fabulous Sinead

This is a fantastic double C.D. I play mine all the time. It has a lot of her greatest songs on it and some I didn't know, which are also great. I love Sinead, can never say enough good stuff about her, she never dissapoints me. Don't back down ever, Sinead. October 13, 2008

exlusive

only if you are able to listen whith your inner self!....there s no other way, July 30, 2007

V-Warrior!

Oh, yeh, WAY too much here, but some of it is ESSENTIAL.

High points include 100,000,000,000-watt renditions of the implausibly bitter B-52s rocker "Ain't It A Shame" and Abba's tear-jerking "Chiquitita," both of which are exhilarating. Originals of distinction include the spiritually and psychologically indeterminant "Emma's Song," plus the harrowing lament "No Matter How Hard I Try."

Atomic. January 31, 2007

Sinead's Most Interesting album!

It took me three years to decide to buy this album. I wasn't sure at the beginning because it was a compilation of collaborations, b-sides and unreleased material plus a live album. I've never been into live albums because the songs never sound as good as the original versions, or unreleased songs because they usually suck.

However, the live album is great. It fills you up with such an amazing energy that you just want to play it again and again. I wish I could've gone to that concert!

The studio album has excellent songs I couldn't live without. "O Filii et Filiae" has these strange african-christian arrangements that make it one of the highlights of the album. "My Love I Bring" also has an excellent combination of celtic-rasta arrangements. Her voice on "Chiquitita" sounds beautiful. "It's All Good" could've easily been a smash hit in 2003. "A Thousand Broken Mirrors" is one of her best collaborations. "Dense Water, Deeper Down" has an amazing country-folk vibe that makes it the best track on the CD. "Big Bunch of Junkie Lies" reminds you of her album "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got", and while its lyrics are somewhat a cliche, it's a beautiful song.

I can't wait to buy her new upcoming album called "Theology"! December 10, 2006

Thank you

I really can't be bothered if this is her last album or not, obviously its not there is a new one out. This album is simply great, and I can't wait to buy the new one. Lets hope that she doesn't stop singing. September 10, 2006

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