SinA©ad O'Connor, Sinead O'Connor - Throw Down Your Arms

Much has been made in Sinead O'Connor fan circles and the pop music press about the controversy-courting singer's decision to revive her self-shelved career with a disc of reggae covers. After the critical breakthrough that was 2002's Sean-Nos Nua, an album of traditional Irish tunes artfully reimagined, a jaunt through Jamaica carried the whiff of a stunt--there she goes banging the drum of defiance again, went the popular gripe, just when the world had widely concurred it liked her riffling through the dustbins of her own musical roots. On closer inspection, though, O'Connor's sabbatical to Burning Spear country makes a lot of sense: rewind to 1992, when she famously ripped a picture of the Pope on "Saturday Night Live," and the memory that it was Bob Marley's "War" that struck her as suitable tearing music clicks into place. What Throw Down Your Arms reveals more than anything is that the rasta spirit has never fully left O'Connor. Separating "religious music" from "music about God," O'Connor gracefully insinuates herself into each of these songs, imbuing some (the sparsely done "Jah Nuh Dead," "Marcus Garvey," "War") with characteristic fire and indignation and others, including the title track and the charming "Curly Locks," with a fully realized and oddly audible sense of enlightenment. Significantly, her signature Irish lilt is fully tact here; it's her sole white-girl spin on a series of universally appealing, otherwise untouched songs. Groundbreaking producers Sly & Robbie and a real-deal reggae backing band lively up the proceedings without peeling away the message. --Tammy La Gorce Amazon.com

One of the Best Reggae Albums Ever!

If you like Reggae, especially the roots rock reggae of the 1970s, and/or if you like Sinead O'connor then you can not go wrong with this album.

If you like roots rock reggae but have no interest in Sinead O'Connor then you will probably still like it and end up liking her.

If you like Sinead O'Connor but dislike Reggae, then this is not the album for you because it is the real thing.

Sinead went to Tuff Gong Records in Jamaica to record this with Sly and Robbie and many more masters of Reggae. I have been a big fan of Roots Rock Reggae for over 10 years now and this is one of my all time favorite Reggae albums. Highly Recommended. December 22, 2007

My copy was COPY-PROTECTED!!

This is a great reggae album by Sinead, who shines at pretty much everything she does. I don't know if this is true for all copies of this CD, but mine came copy-protected, meaning that it can only be played... and not installed into iTunes etc. to be part of your collection. Great album though... and great artist! June 21, 2007

IF YOU LIKE REGGAE: YOU'LL LIKE THIS!

It seems that I am in the opposite boat to most of the reviewers here: I am actually not a big fan of Sinead O'Connor. I heard her sing The Foggy Dew with the chieftans and loved it, but was disappointed with Sean Nos Nua because it was filled with computerized pop reworkings of traditional Irish songs. I thought my 12 seconds of fandom were over. Then I heard her singing Downpressor Man on an independent radio station and was blown away. She drives home all of her classic reggae covers and takes you down to the roots. It is produced by the legendary riddum section Sly Dunbar (drums) and Robbie Shakespeare (bass) both of whom played with Peter Tosh and Bob Marley as well as many other artists. The songs are sung with a powerfull conviction that can only come from a true respect for reggae/rastas. The expertise of Sly and Robbie cement Sinead's talent in a bedrock history. Hypnotic, chilling, and at other times warm and inviting, Sinead's voice is stellar and completely unaffected. If you like classic reggae this album is worth listening to. May 9, 2007

My least favorite by an artist I love

I am a HUGE Sinéad O'Connor fan, and I think she's one of the most underrated performers of my generation (probably due to her political/social views, which conflict with much of intolerant America). Plus--she has been a little flaky--lesbian today, pastor tomorrow, etc. Still, this album leaves me lukewarm. There are some catchy tunes like "Vampire," but in general the songs sound like a singer outside her element.

Sinéad's hook for me has been her ability to elicit strong emotions: pain, injustice, love, longing. This collection doesn't do this much for me. March 28, 2007

Great remake of great roots Reggae

Respect to Sinead O'connor everytime. This CD is great, the selections of songs are some of my favorites. Her remake of Door Peep, Y mas Gan, and Prophet has Arise are amazing. I defenitly recommend this CD February 28, 2007

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