I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got

"feels so different" it kinda sounds like a song from an epic medieval movie's trailer. "i'm stretched on your grave" i didnt expected a kind of trip hop or whatever this is. anyways its not my kind of music, its so vocal and i dont like that much the voice of sinead (i mean, she has a good voice, but not one strong enough to carry the entire album imo) "three babies" 3 songs and 3 different genres, wow. "the emperor's new clothes" 4 songs and 4 different genres, not surprised. "black boys on mopeds" when she sings "remembEr what i told you..." the "rEmember" is so ear disturbing, the rest of the song its a mid folk pop not that bad. "nothing compares 2 u" i dont usually like adult genres (aor and adult contemporary) and this song is adult contemporary, but its not that bad. it has a simple and very common instrumental and a harmonious voice singing bout sum love, in a cringeworthyway "jump in the river" the lyrics are kinda cringe too. "and if you said jump in the river i would because it would probably be a good idea" sounds like a 13 years old emo saying "nobody loves me" while having a thoroughly well-off and loving typical family. but it doesnt sound that bad, tho its a poor attempt of doing alt rock. "you cause as much sorrow" idk what to say, very simple singer-songwriter song but i liked it. it is the best song of the album "last day of our acquaintance" i dont like the guitar tone in the breakdown. anyways the song is not bad, but i think it could have been better than it actually is. "i do not want what i havent got" im not listening to a 6 minutes acapella at 4AM, i listened to it skipping, the voice its annoying, an acapella song with an annoying voice, and its long. in general, its not a bad album, its mid and prolly not for me, but definitely even if it was for me its not more than a 3 or being generous 3,25. but for me its between 2 and 2,5

Heard it before. It's funny that Nothing Compares 2 U is Sinead's biggest hit because it almost doesn't fit among other songs on the album. And to be frank other than this song I didn't feel strongly about many songs on the album, almost got bored even. I hope Lion and the Cobra is on the list too because I'm gonna rate that one higher 2/5

I was expecting this to be angry and eclectic and odd. But it was actually quite pleasant to listen ton. I listened on a plane so was very focused but I can’t remember anything about it. I do remember thinking I’ll give it four stars and I will but I don’t remember why I’m going.

the album isn’t bad. i am confused how this album became so popular it made its way to SNL for the iconic moment tho. that , i was three at the time. i thought i was gonna hate this album due to the first track being a slog, but i really liked “i am stretched on your grave”. third track was again a slog. but i liked the rest too. well, except when everything kicked in on “last day of our acquaintance”.

This album is all over the place in an effective way. It starts with an epic orchestral ballad, then dances between slower songs with acoustic guitar and piano and upbeat songs with typical late 80s/early 90s beats. I just didn't really like O'Connor's vocals at certain points, though. Favorite Track: Nothing Compares 2 U This is an iconic and beautiful love song, even if this is a cover. I can tell it got more popular than the original for a reason.

- Sa voix est magique et les paroles sont touchantes, mais c’est de la soft pop de songwriter trop déchirante pour moi - j’aurais jamais guess que je connaissais une des chansons, mais j’avoue que nothing compares 2 u c’est banger

Amazing voice and instrumentals, sparse highlights, not that many lows.

I really wanted to like this, the lore surrounding Sinēad is badass. Just really not my sort of music unfortunately

Too slow, not enough going on, and generally just boring.

She has a great voice. I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of songs and the traditional Irish vibe on some.

I’m not a big Sinead fan but she has a great voice

Really expected more tbh. Good but not great. Kinda drags.

Her voice-range, tone, & control-are all really good. But overall, the album is boring. Nothing I’ll come back to

Four stars, nothing compares to you is a classic big respect to her she has a beautiful voice.

Maso

Buenardo, chill de cojones

Went in thinking "Meh, don't care"... but it's actually good.

Absolutely brilliant album. Sinead’s range was incredible in terms of what kind of song she could pull off. Her voice was enchanting and her lyrics were powerful. Ironically, Nothing Compares to You was the only song that I knew pre listen, and while it’s a great performance I realized how much Prince shines through in the track.

Alright I took a deep sigh when I saw what this was. I listened to it the first time, meh. I listened to it again and loved it. Will be back as a new fan. Such moving vocals and lyrics.

Well ok, ok

MOOD

Nothing compares to 'Nothing Compares', but the rest of the album was...just okay.

I might have to come back to this one. I certainly liked it but didn’t love it.

O'Connor was amazing for standing up to the wicked Catholic Church despite the deleterious effects on her career. Album is a snoozefest though

Totally surprised me !

Someone who didn't get the respect they should have in life. Incredible talent.

Sinead has a great voice, and I like the very limited amount of the more upbeat arrangements on here, but most of this is way too adult contemporary for me.

Heard Before? Only "Nothing Compares". Notes: - string heavy arrangements and reverby vocals are a bit distracting, but the production doesn't get truly bad until "The Emperor's New Clothes". - fantastic vocals. powerful and highly inflected without pointless showiness. - songs are all too long. - I'm always down for an anti-cop anthem ("Black Boys on Mopeds") and a divorce treatise ("Last Day of Our Acquaintance"). Verdict: Like a returning comic book villian, tacky studio gloss ruins yet another set of powerful performances. Listen Again? Unlikely. I have nothing but respect for Sinead, but these songs (and especially the production) don't really do much for me.

Hele sterke eerste helft van het album, rest daarna is fine. Wat heeft Sinead trouwens een gigantisch bizar levensverhaal, met natuurlijk hele diepe, donkere gebeurtenissen, maar ook een soort Kanye-esque storylines (die denk ik ook wel (deels) voortkwamen uit d'r mentale staat) van het verscheuren van een foto van de paus en daarna gewijd worden als priester (incl. Christelijke naam) tot daarna bekeren tot de Islam (incl. Islamitische naam) en iedere niet-Moslim smerig en mentaal gestoord noemen en tot slot dat allemaal weer terugnemen

Tranentrekkend mooi: van Sinead's ongeëvenaarde stem tot de minimalistische en kraakheldere productie. Te veel highlights om op te noemen.

Not the best album but ok for easy listening

Nothing Compares 2 U is a quintessential 90s song, but the drop off to the next good song is monumental. I Do Not Want stood out I guess, but I didn't like the rest of the album. Nothing Compares might have kept this from being a 1. 2/5

Solid 4. A little ballad heavy, especially in the back half, but Nothing Compares is a deserved classic and the first four songs here are all excellent

Tätä albumia tuskin tulee kuunneltua ikinä uudestaan. Ei mikään superhuono mutta omaan musamakuubi armottoman tylsä. 2/5

Going in I was going to give this 4, I had this album and loved it. OMG I forgot how amazing this album is. Almost every song is a stunner. Her voice is amazing and the lyrics powerful and moving. On of the best reflections on loss and grief

I've never had an album like this where the first 3 tracks are so awful, but the rest of the album is either good or OK. 2.0/5.0: Disappointing

i enjoyed two of the songs and there was a third i didnt hate. the rest i found to be a slog to get through. it doesn't help that every song but one was several minutes too long.

The first half of the album left me a bit uninspired. Sinead’s voice is obviously great but I just didn’t get anything from the songs in the first half. From Nothing Compares 2 U I think the album picks up and Last Day of Our Acquaintance and the acapella of I Do Not Want What I haven’t Got are both quite beautiful and moving songs and definitely give an uplift to the album.

Artiste connue par son tube 'Nothing Compares 2 U', c'est la première fois que j'écoute un album entier. Belle voix (+1), mais c'est à peu près tout. L'accompagnement n'est pas toujours intéressant. Parfois il se limite à quelques monotones accords de guitare ('Black Boys on Mopeds', 'Three Babies' par exemple, vraiment inintéressants), et peut aller à un orchestre pseudo classique, en passant par des intermédiaires plus rock ('The Emperor's New Clothes'). Mais les morceaux sont trop long, et le sentiment qui reste est ... l'ennui. Pas de seconde écoute donc. =>2/5

tiola, auto

As a whole, it's okay. I agree with the message on a lot of it, but it's not delivered in a way I find that interesting. "Nothing Compares 2 U" is such an obvious standout, though.

What a powerful album, filled with mesmerizing tracks, with rich introspective lyrics, sung by this haunting yet melodic voice. I didn't know Sinéad, but I will certainly listen to more of her music.

While Sinead is a great singer and this album is regarded by many as one of their favorite and best albums, I find this album to be just average. It does flow well and has some songs that are better than others but overal I feel it is not an album that will blow someone away.

I used to really dislike Nothing Compares to U back as a kid. But now I don’t mind it as much, listening to it as an adult it’s a great song. As for the album as a whole I found it started slow and dipped at the end but there was a run of good songs in the middle.

Her stunning voice really carries the album but always treads a line between enhancing a song or completely swamping it. Some good songs keep the interest going without really igniting.

Now that my 15yr old self’s utter contempt for ‘Nothing compares…’ has passed, it’s fair to say this is a reasonable album. She does have a great voice which has an addictive haunting quality. The mix of styles is nice, albeit not all to my tastes.

Besides "Nothing Compares 2 U" (what an 80s way to spell the title for a 90s song), every one of the other tracks bleeds into the next.

She does not seem like a lot of fun to hang out with.

Really enjoyed this one. She put so much emotion and power into her music. Four stars.

bald

not a chance

Da pra perceber que é um disco bem carregado de sentimentos. Muito sobre aflições, questões espirituais, relacionamentos. Os vocais são suaves mas crus, sem muita “forçação” É com certeza um disco mais de época, teve seu impacto no periodo de lançamento, mas hoje em dia, pelo menos pra mim, soa como algo mais comum.

This poor woman had a difficult life and a beautiful voice. The album very much a proud of its time and place.

I guess I’ve only heard a couple of her songs and I wasn’t thrilled to get this. It ended up actually being pretty cool, though.

You don't have to wonder, you can feel the earnestness. Having said that, there really just 3 bangers ("The Emperor's New Clothes", "Nothing Compares 2 U", "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got") and everything else falls somewhere on the spectrum in between. I enjoy both of her albums on the list, but I cannot quite decide which I prefer more, or if either of them is truly essential to include although my gut says that at least one of them should be on the list. Whether you agreed with her or not, she was a firebrand who was unafraid to speak her mind, and had the courage to change her mind when she felt she got it wrong. It was also powerful that she wrote all of her own material, and with her voice, she could perform just believably perform just about anything. The thing that struck me over the years was that as she became more successful, she seemed ever more haunted as a person.

Never really listened to Sinead beyond the radio hits. Its a really good record. 4

Decent album with a lot of heavy songs. Not great, but good.

Beautiful album ..but nothing compares Puts up a notch

In-between music Sinead wanted (folk-baroque) vs what the label put on the album (pop-rock). It feels like the album revolves around the hit song. Each track makes liberal use of the fade in (3.5).

75

It's crazy how pointed and relevant this still is today. They did her so dirty. And you get the impression that she knew that this was going to be the reception. "If they hate me, they hate you too". This album is obviously so influential and even though it's something that maybe I personally wouldn't be listening to very frequently. It doesn't mean that it's not worth the praise. Also, I'm always a sucker for traditional music being blended into a modern album. Fav Track: Nothing Compares To You

All I knew of Sinead O'Connor is Nothing Compares 2 U (and at that, just the chorus). Not only is the rest of that song better than the chorus, the rest of this album is better than that song! Surprising mix of modern and traditional, some of it felt more like a new age chant songs. And certainly song of these where quite repetitive. However, enjoyed it overall. A respectable 3.5 starts which I'm rounding down.

The album was really atmospheric in a compelling way and there was a lot of stuff that was interesting, but ultimately a bit too repetitive to remain interesting. Nothing really stuck out to me, even Nothing Compares 2 U. Rating: 3

Nice

Never listened through this whole album before, despite its rather ubiquitous nature in the early to mid-90's. I've loved Black Boys on Mopeds forever, and Nothing Compares 2 U is a force. Enjoyed this all the way through.

album. liked 2nd half more than the first half.

Very Celtic, emotional, mystical and ethereal. Enjoyed it more than what I was expecting

Peak sad ballad 90's. Makes me imagine going to the underwater themed high school prom where the cute girl takes off her glasses and suddenly looks like Sinead O'Connor. Would listen again, probably will go back and save a few tracks, add a few to my playlists. Unfortunately, not quite enough bangers to bump it into 4-star territory for me.

Solid album

Pretty good overall, I especially like the title track. When I was a kid, this was Adult Contemporary and it's difficult for me to separate the listening experience from that stigma.

Very dull. Listen to Nothing Compares 2 U and move on.

She’s an amazing singer, but i just dont like this late 80s style of women singing pop style. suuper dramatic and grandiose. Mid 3

Has only gone up in my estimation over the passage of time. Incredible voice

kinda reminded me of adele!

It's not terrible. Sinead definitely has a lot to say, and it's admirable for her to use her platform to advocate for causes she cares dearly about. I think she is one that was vilified in her day and largely vindicated and sanctified as time goes on. Themes of her song appear to be dear to her, so she wants them to be known. Style-wise, it's really good. Obviously, one song here is an all timer, but the others are not terrible. In some of them, she sounds like a not-as-good Bjork, but she also shows her own style.

I don't care for all her music, but I found much of this album to be pretty powerful, just very charged and I liked it.

such a gorgeous album. i'm tempted to give it a 5, i'm just not sure how much i'll come back and relisten realistically, so we'll see

Heard before?:❌️ Will listen again?:✔️ Fav: I am stretched on your grave

What's with the obsession over starting indie (or indie-adjacent) albums with sombre or contemplative ballads? Feels So Different is solid, but it's low energy and doesn't excite me for what's to come. It would work better as a closer, or a sophomore track. But instead, this song is many people's first-ever experience with Sinéad O'Connor, and when designing albums you need to take that into account. Even I Am Stretched On Your Grave, while a bit monotonous in its own right, would make for a better opener, with that funky bass tone and presence of genuine percussion. Also, the Irish-folky fiddle at the end is pretty sweet – though again melodically repetitive. Three Babies... what can I say? Not much. One chord played unwaveringly on the strings for almost five minutes, and a melody that doesn't really go anyway and expresses one flat emotion. Worrying, perhaps, for the prospects of later tracks. The Emperor's New Clothes is the first song I'm convinced by. Very 80s-pop inspired, including the slick, synthy production we've come to love/hate, but the musicianship and actual composition is still a little limited (aside from O'Connor's voice, which is obviously fantastic). At this point I wonder if I should be paying attention to lyrics – I almost never do, unless they're horrendously bad. Black Boys On Mopeds is fine – an innocuous acoustic guitar ballad without any particularly convincing hook, melody, beat, or textural/mood change within a track. That's something all of these songs lack so far, actually. Nothing Compares 2 U is pretty good. Easy to see why it became the hit single. Engaging semi-indie-rock texture that doesn't really let up for the whole 4:40. Probably, this earns style points for being recognisable and influential more than anything else. It's a little underwhelming from a musical point of view. That being said, it towers over the rest of side 2, including the relentlessly bland Jump In The River and title track. I'm hovering between a 2 and a 3, but bumping it down here feels correct to counterbalance all the positive reviews. This record hinges mainly on Nothing Compares 2 U's success and it certainly wouldn't be on the list otherwise. Note: I love Sinéad O'Connor as a figure in music, but (as I've discovered) I don't really love her music in isolation. 2/5 Key tracks: The Emperor's New Clothes, Nothing Compares 2 U

some bangers

Brilliant and distinct.

The album is so much more than *that* cover. We have tasteful use of the Funky Drummer loop, Irish folk, straight up rock, cracking bass work from Jah Wobble & Andy Rourke but above all Sinead's voice shines through.

Breakthrough album that I personally believe was one of the key albums that helped usher in the change in music in the 1990s.

deep, spiritual music

Several beautiful and striking songs. A little uneven in the second half in particular and the production quality varies wildly from track to track.

mágico disco

Sinead has a great voice. I certainly appreciate it now more than when this album came out.

I liked this

Only just 3 stars, songs could be stronger but I love her voice.

It has some good moments but a lot of sleepy ones. Overall quite listenable

Her voice is so haunting across this entire album. I don’t know how often I’ll revisit, but damn it’s worth hearing.

Words that come to mind are: Ethereal. Personal. Pretty. Smart. Vulnerable. Evocative. I can't help but respect the artist and the art. I want to spend more time with this one.

Before listening to this album my primary impression of Sinead O'Connor was her tearing up a picture of the Pope before performing on a live TV show (SNL, maybe)? So, I expected something more confrontational. I was surprised but not at all disappointed. This album is beautiful, simple, haunting, and emotional. It has all the emotional weight of an angry punk album without all of the noise. And her voice is amazing and restrained as she very rarely pushes either side of her register.

Like it

Great album , no skips

Very good

Sinéad O’Connor possessed a remarkable voice, at times hauntingly beautiful, but the accompanying music on her sophomore album does not always resonate. Sonically, the production - handled largely by O’Connor alongside Nellee Hooper and Chris Birkett - relies heavily on digital reverbs, gated snare drums, and early digital synthesizers that give certain tracks a brittle quality. Numbers like "The Emperor’s New Clothes" and "Jump in the River" carry that specific, polished sheen of late-1980s alternative pop, which has not aged nearly as well as the more minimalist material. The album is elevated by four standout tracks: the moving cover of Prince’s "Nothing Compares 2 U" and the stark protest of "Black Boys on Mopeds". By the time the record reaches "The Last Day of Our Acquaintance", the experience begins to drag, yet that track remains a fine piece of work, as does the beautifully sung, a cappella title track. While much of the album leans toward the pleasantly tedious, these four distinct highlights elevate what would otherwise be a two-star record into a three-star album. 1 "Feel So Different" (2/5) 2 "I Am Stretched on Your Grave" (2/5) 3 "Three Babies" (2/5) 4 "The Emperor's New Clothes" (2/5) 5 "Black Boys on Mopeds" (4/5) 6 "Nothing Compares 2 U" (5/5) 7 "Jump in the River" (2/5) 8 "You Cause as Much Sorrow" (2/5) 9 "The Last Day of Our Acquaintance" (4/5) 10 "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got" (4/5) Total - 29 Average - 2.9 360/1001 191/360 albums reviewed were new to me.

Amazing voice, and, by all accounts, an amazing, but troubled person. She was the center of some major cultural moments in my youth. Appreciate her contributions to the era and how principled she appeared to be in her art. This album is a great example of all of her talent. RIP.

This is nice.

Lots of powerful subjects beautifully sung about, always used her music as a voice for change

This album, in spite of it's sparse arrangements is **heavy**. There is a weight and intentionality to each word, note, and beat. I was a young teenager when this was released and I didn't fully understand her (SNL) protest. Time and wisdom have helped to put this in its full perspective and I now appreciate and understand her political messaging. All that said, however, and the music just doesn't jive with me. "Nothing Compares.." is great, and if pressed, "Emperor's New Clothes.." and "Black Boys.." were pretty good, but the rest doesn't score it higher than a (3/5) from me. She has a great voice but there's just not much musically going on. I understand that was intentional, but it doesn't click for me here.

I remember this one being a HUGE album until it wasn't. I remember the song (and that Prince wrote it), and I remember the tearing of the picture and the backlash afterward, but I'd honestly never had an opportunity to hear the rest of the album, and was a little flummoxed when it came up on this list. And when I listened to it, I was a whole other kind of surprised. This is a good album. Maybe not a damn good album or a wonderful album, but much different and more interesting than I'd expected. Way more Tori Amos/Fiona Apple/Bjork adjacent and less Dolores O'Riordan than anticipated (and I am at least a casual fan of all of the above). It may not be a blind 5, but it does round up to a 4/5, and intrigued me enough to search out some of her later work to see where she went creatively after her public ostricism.

121. I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got - Sinead O'Connor (1990) 6.23.26 Variety: 4 Adequacy: 5 Listenability: 5 Uniqueness: 3 Emotionality: 5 = 4.4 rounded down to a 4 "I'll talk but you won't listen to me/ I know your answer already" INTRO Sinéad O'Connor is an artist I'm mainly familiar with through the GIANT hit, and then a small handful of other tracks I've happened across randomly throughout the years. Specifically "Mandinka" is one I hear semi-frequently on satellite radio, and which I quite like. I'm more familiar with the trials and tribulations that played out in the media over the last 30+ years since here SNL appearance. What little I've heard I've liked, hope this one will be much more than just the great Prince cover. THE TRACKS "Feel So Different" - We open off with a very atmospheric and serious entry. The opening prayer, while not my thing certainly sets the somber mood. The synths, the strings and the echo effect on her vocals is reminding me a lot of the Enya track "Boadicea". Arrangement-wise this is also not a million miles from some Kate Bush stuff. Her voice is the attraction here though, and she's able to be warm and emotional in the same way that someone like Bjork can manage hitting some of the higher registers very briefly. "I Am Stretched on Your Grave" - Could this be called folk-trip-hop-trance? I'm not sure how to classify this one but I know that I liked it quite a bit. The beat as it went on and on became a bit hypnotic, and O'Connor's vocals added a mystical chant vibe that had me tapping my fingers on the table. "Three Babies" - A big swing into a soft lullaby-like number that is more on the Enya side of the Celtic New Agey folk spectrum and less on the Dead Can Dance side. This one must surely get the tears flowing for a lot of listeners. And the vocals feel authentic and as full of real emotion as any performer could get away with while still being reserved enough to not overpower the very pretty instrumentation. "The Emperor's New Clothes" - One of the other songs of hers I'm familiar with. This one was big enough to have a music video, so much have been pushed as a single. A more straight forward rock song in the mold of a Midnight Oil. This felt lighter and more obliquely biographical. Fine stuff, and adds even more variety, proving O'Connor's not a one-trick pony. "Black Boys on Mopeds" - Another switch up with an acoustic number that is dripping with political discontent. There's almost a shoegazey quality to the proceedings here with her strong voice the thing that makes it standout from a lot of that lazier, mumbly sounding stuff. Again, no musicality is sacrificed on the altar of the message song. Another difficult trick to pull off, as so much of that stuff is as unlistenable as music as it is can be deeply moving and meaningful. This manages both. "Nothing Compares 2 U" - Hoo boy. Been a while but this one still really works on me. I've listened to the Prince cover a zillion times since I was able to track it down, and as solid as it is - is does not compare ( groan) to this. O'Connor OWNS this song. And I think His Purpleness has said as much in interviews. The arrangement here is less love song, and more church choir and O'Connor's vocals here are raw and passionate without being overwrought in any fashion. Her rise on the "...try.." at the 3:50 mark gets me. Every. Single. Time. What a song. God-tier stuff here folks. "Jump in the River" - Wow. Now we jump right into some bass heavy alt-rock that would not sound out of place covered by an act like Veruca Salt ( edit: Holy shit, guys - turns out I'm psychic or something. On a whim I went looking after for and expecting to find a bunch of covers of this and - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KsvybHd89Q ). High quality stuff here. "You Cause as Much Sorrow" - Things slow back down for a more intimate down tempo number in which she systematically takes down some looming shadow, who seems like a major source of trauma. This has a jangly kind of feel in the realm of something like R.E.M. would have been doing around the same time or a little earlier. There's a nice contrast between the whispery vocals in the opening and the denouncement of the first chorus. I can imagine this as an internal monologue delivered over the casket of someone who's no longer there to wreak havoc, but the fallout remains. Dark as the lyrics are, the chorus feels a little more hopeful and upbeat. "The Last Day of Our Acquaintance" - A sad but very pretty acoustic relationship post-mortem. The simplest song on the album loses none of the emotional resonance and quality that we've seen before. The sparseness maybe even adds to the vibe, so that when the song kicks into high gear with the rest of the instruments joining in in the last fourth, the mood switches to a feeling of, if not celebration, then acceptance that pays off really well. "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got" - This a cappella number feels like a traditional folk hymn or some sort of old Appalachian gospel number. Well done, and her voice suits it very well, but easily my least favorite track on the album, as powerful and emotive as it is. ( surprisingly the only cover of note I can find is a fine one by Betty LaVette). HIGHLIGHTS - "Feel So Different" - "I Am Stretched on Your Grave" - "Three Babies" - "The Emperor's New Clothes" - "Black Boys on Mopeds" - "Nothing Compares 2 U" - "Jump in the River" - "You Cause as Much Sorrow" - "The Last Day of Our Acquaintance" MIDLIGHTS - "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got" LOWLIGHTS - FINAL THOUGHTS It's funny hearing this right after Marvin Gaye's Let's Get it On, where I noted how authentic and sincere Gaye is in his delivery, and how unique that made him among his peers. Holy hell, O'Connor has this and then some. I believed every bit of everything on this thing, and can imagine her live sets must have been emotional tinderboxes. I should have maybe guessed going in though, the story goes that she legit started crying during the shoot for the famous "Nothing Compares 2 U" video, and they just kept rolling. Raw, unfiltered, and alternately intense and extremely delicately beautiful throughout. Another thing it has in common with the Gaye album is both are filled with great songs that are unfortunately overshadowed by immense once in a career songs that have permeated the larger pop culture landscape maybe to the detriment of the lesser known tracks. I did not find O'Connor to be as po-faced ( to borrow a term) on here as I thought she would be. While there was not really any humor or much lightness at all, the seriousness did not feel oppressive in any way. There are very few musicians who can get such seriousness across in their work without coming across as pompous and self important. O'Connor still seems to want to entertain and provide a pleasant experience, despite a lot of the content. That's not an easy task. This one is so very close to being an instant classic for me aside from that last track not hitting, and the pervasive aura of melancholy which I think would prevent me from breaking this out too often. Maybe future listens will warm me up, but for now it sits on just on the cusp. As sad as her early exit from life was, we can at least be grateful she left a respectably sized discography to explore. I look forward to doing so. Just hopefully not all of it requires a box of Kleenex like this one. PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS - Nope FURTHER LISTENING - Is This Desire? by PJ Harvey - Whatever by Aimee Mann - Little Earthquakes by Tori Amos - The Covers Record by Cat Power - Tigerlily by Natalie Merchant

Sinéad O’Connor’s rendition of “Nothing Compares 2 U” was unavoidable in 1990. At the time though I was too young to hunt down the rest of the album. By the time I had the means it was not of interest to me. So here I am listening to an album from my younger years for the first time. Make no mistake this is not a one-hit wonder album. The hit towers above the rest of the tracks, sure, but the remainder is worthy of attention. Her voice displays so many facets over the course of these 10 tracks. She’s playful, scathing, haunting, longing, invigorating. It is quite the display. Showcasing so much talent. She’s telling stories, she’s expressing regrets, she’s making political statements. O’Conner takes the listener on quite the ride. The arrangements pace each track perfectly. I can see myself returning to a few of these. 4/5

Sorry, to mellow for my taste even if music and singing is good, but just not for me

7/10

Her storytelling is what stuck out to me particularly. Found a lot of her songs to be fairly dull, though. Rating: 6.8/10 Songs: Emperors New Clothes, Black Boys on Mopeds

man the album is great that fuckin prince cover though… its STILL something very special.

No one has ever been more vindicated about everything than Sinead O'Conor. Anyway, this album rules.

Inte något jag typiskt lyssnar på, men hennes röst är häftig nog (och Nothing Compares är tillräckligt av en banger) för att det når till en fyra

Karaktäristisk röst och känsla!

Jäkla nice vibe!

I've listened to Nothing Compares 2 U so many times without listening to the rest of this album.

I liked this The final track is superb. Even if the rest of the album was cack (which it's not), it would still be worth 4 stars

Decent.

Haunting

6/10 Sinéad O’Connor was a remarkable woman in many ways. Her career was derailed and overshadowed by her (entirely justified) protest against systemic child abuse issues within the catholic church, nearly a decade ahead of the scandal becoming a prominent issue around the world. She had struggles with her mental health too, at least in part due to the abuse she suffered as a child and the backlash against her after her protest. But suffice it to say that she was a strong willed woman, who did things on her own terms. This album showcases that well. She wrote and produced the vast majority of the album herself, with only her cover of Nothing Compares 2 U being written without her input and produced by a separate producer. Even then, she refused to have her vocal compressed on that track, so she hardly ducked out of production decisions. When it’s at its best, this album is wonderful. The intimacy of her vocal performances sucks you in and grips you, and the stark, sparse instrumentation really helps to build on that emotionally raw atmosphere that she builds. But unfortunately, the record isn’t without its issues. It’s quite an uneven song selection, with tracks like The Emperor’s New Clothes kind of jarring against the more personal cuts, and even moments within certain tracks, like the violin in I Am Stretched On Your Grave, which didn’t entirely work for me. But when she gets it right, she really nails it. Nothing Compares is a masterpiece, Black Boys On Mopeds is gorgeous, and there are other highlights here. But there’s also just a little too much that didn’t quite connect with me on a musical level, either being a little too repetitive or a touch unfocused in terms of progression and intent. It’s a shame, because there’s so much potential here, but unfortunately there isn’t really enough consistency for me to love it. Feel So Different - The building and atmosphere orchestration is a really nice way to open the record. There is development within the strings that give this forward momentum. I do sort of feel like it builds and builds on tension that never quite gets resolved, but I do think that’s deliberate. The dynamic growth of both the instrumentation and her vocal performance is excellent. I’m not completely in love with this, but I do think it’s very well executed, performed and produced, it just doesn’t completely connect with me. I Am Stretched On Your Grave - This is almost a trip-hop song. The slow, rolling backing set against her interpretation of a 17th century poem sounds both ecclesiastical and like early 90s British dance music. It’s an interesting blend, particularly when you throw in the celtic fiddle part later on. I wasn’t convinced at the start, but I kind of ended up getting sucked into the world of this song and, despite the musical core of it being pretty repetitive, I found it quite hypnotising and effective. Three Babies - A delicate and subtle start with a melody that roams a little, but takes moments to soar and focus in on key motifs. It’s a pretty dramatic vocal performance, with some moments of stark emotion in her voice. This kind of drifts along in a warm way that embraces the ear and guides you without grabbing tight. It’s very pretty and enjoyable, but there’s equally nothing that vastly stands out, but is possibly more effective because of that. The Emperor's New Clothes - We get a bit of a sharp change of pace and style now with a new-wave pop number. The guitar work is decent in places and it’s got a generally fuller sound, but it’s a little bit rhythmically one-paced and not vastly interesting. It’s not a terrible pop song, but it’s not really a great one either and it doesn’t really find a particularly effective hook to allow it to stick in the memory. And the ending just goes on for way too long. Black Boys On Mopeds - This is a pretty and heartfelt song. It’s stripped back and sparse, but incredibly effective. It’s got a lovely melody and her vocal performance is excellent. I really liked the vibe and emotion of this one. Nothing Compares 2 U - Man, Prince can really write a song. This is so harmonically and melodically rich and has beautiful lyrics. And then Sinéad gets hold of it and turns it into this absolutely heartbreaking, epic pop ballad. It’s stunningly beautiful. Her vocal is so brilliantly emotive, the sound palette is masterfully crafted and it all just comes together to create something that rightfully became an enormous hit. Jump In The River - This feels quite rigid, especially after the much more organic and fluid Nothing Compares. It’s a bit of a muddy sound, but it’s quite a cool dirty rock pop effort. There’s some very good stuff in here, but it perhaps lacks clarity and refinement. You Cause As Much Sorrow - Back to something more ballady now. This is the kind of stuff that Sinéad feels more at home on, with wide dynamic range and an ebb and flow to the songwriting. There’s a cool groove to this too and there’s an element of Kate Bush to the sound palette. It’s mostly sparse, but it does throw in moments of more full instrumental that drag it towards pop territory before it backs away again, which is an effect I quite like. It’s a shame she doesn’t back away again towards the end as that poppy stuff is more run-of-the-mill than the verses. The Last Day Of Our Acquaintance - I love the close-mic recording of the vocal here, it feels incredibly intimate and powerful because of it. The slow build of the dynamic is excellent and it takes its time nicely. It’s a really nice song made all the better by the structural and production choices she makes. A very nice track. I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got - This is another that has an ecclesiastical quality to it, at least in part due to the church-like reverb. It’s melodically quite repetitive, but has a hypnotic beauty to it and the vocal performance is incredibly strong. A really pretty ambient vocal closer. Very nice.

Better than I thought it was going to be

Sinead's voice alone should earn stars. It's clear and beautiful, and it can be angelic but it can also send a gut-punch of a message. I bought this CD in high school because of "Nothing Compares 2U" and remember being slightly disappointed that the rest of the album wasn't like that however, that's high school naivety. I'm listening to it now as an adult with fresh ears, and recognize that she was pretty dMn special.

Everything I know about Sinead O'Connor: amazing Prince cover, was right about the Catholic church even though she was persecuted for it at the time. I'm getting Jagged Little Pill vibes from this album. Almost like Alanis cribbed the format of desire and heartbreak and then added a little grunge in place of the folk/singer-songwriter vibes. Beautiful voice. Nothing Compares 2 U

Das zweite Studioalbum der irischen Sängerin Sinéad O'Connor entstand 1988 und 1989 überwiegend in den Jam Studios sowie in den Master Rock Studios in Kilburn, mit zusätzlichen Aufnahmen in den S.T.S.-Studios in Dublin, und erschien im März 1990 auf Ensign/Chrysalis. Produziert von O'Connor selbst sowie von Nellee Hooper, bewegt sich das Werk zwischen Alternative Rock, Folk-Elementen und sparsam eingesetzter Elektronik – ein Sound, der so klar und unnachgiebig ist wie O'Connors unverwechselbare Stimme. Die Platte wurde vierfach für den Grammy nominiert und gewann die Auszeichnung für Best Alternative Music Performance; O'Connor lehnte Nominierungen und Preis ab. Den kommerziellen Durchbruch brachte „Nothing Compares 2 U", eine Interpretation eines Prince-Titels, die 1990 in zahlreichen Ländern die Charts anführte und durch ihr reduziertes Musikvideo ikonischen Status erlangte. Daneben setzt das Album jedoch auf Stücke, die konzeptionell ebenso stark sind: „The Emperor's New Clothes" mit seiner kantigen Direktheit, das meditativ-melancholische „Three Babies", das auf einem Loop von James Browns „Funky Drummer" basierende „I Am Stretched on Your Grave" oder das bittere Beziehungsfinale „The Last Day of Our Acquaintance". Zusammen ergeben sie ein Album ohne Lückenfüller. Was dieses Album von vergleichbaren Arbeiten seiner Zeit abhebt, ist die kompromisslose Konsequenz, mit der O'Connor Verletzlichkeit und Zorn, Spiritualität und politische Wachheit in einen einzigen Klangkörper zwingt. Kein anderes Album des Jahres 1990 besitzt diese emotionale Dichte – Entertainment Weekly nannte es das beste Album des Jahres, Rolling Stone platzierte es auf seiner Liste der 500 größten Alben aller Zeiten. Über sieben Millionen verkaufte Einheiten bestätigen die Reichweite eines Werks, das nie auf Breitenwirkung ausgerichtet schien. Ein Album, das die Neunziger mitgeprägt hat, bevor sie überhaupt richtig begonnen hatten.

Beautiful music that leaves me cold.

Definitely some songs on here that I thought were really interesting. Giving a 4 for vibes.

Absolute snoozer of a pop album.

I had high hopes for this considering Fiona Apple is a huge fan, but this is very disappointing. It sounded very messy and didn’t have any impact.

nice voice

it's good but i feel a little meh on it so far at the beginning. wouldve skipped a bunch of these tracks cause they were just fine. really besides nothing compares 2 u i found it pretty boring.

- 10 Hate this, howling vocals in front of pretty annoying beat. Few songs were alright.

An excellent record. I love the Prince song of course and the song co-written with Karl Wallinger of World Party and The Waterboys. Sinead's voice soars on this album of course. This is a great record.

It must be over 30 years since I last listened to this album. I loved it then, and I still do. Lyrics, arrangements, and production are exceptionally good. And I was today years old when I learned that Marco Pirroni (Adam and The Ants, Siouxie and The Banshees) worked with her on this album.

Absolutely stunning. What an important artist.

Learning about Sinéad O'Connor's upbringing is definitely unsettling. She was abused by her mother and picked up a nasty habit of stealing from her. Said habit would lead to shoplifting and truancy, which led to Sinéad getting placed in a notorious Catholic Church-run asylum for a year and a half. Those two events led to her very confrontational views on Catholicism while inspiring what she would write in her music. Case in point I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got serves as an album largely addressed to her mother five years after the latter's death. The opening number, "Feel So Different," with the accompanying string arrangement, saw Sinéad struggle with her emotions around her mother while experiencing this newfound freedom. "I Am Stretched on Your Grave" takes a translated 17th-century Irish poem and pairs it with a sampled drum loop from James Brown's "Funky Drummer", as she seemingly tried to comfort her mother long after the latter had left this mortal existence. "You Cause as Much Sorrow" outright addresses the abuse she endured as a child from her mother over a sweeping acoustic guitar-driven ballad. The closing title track, with its a capella hymnal presentation as Sinéad carried the tune with her voice, was something she got from a dream about her mother, saying those exact words. Even the cover of "Nothing Compares 2 U", a song Prince wrote for his side project The Family, took on new meaning as she sang that tune while thinking about her mother and longing for her. There's a wide range of emotions Sinéad went through on this record as she tried to reconcile with her feelings about that person who loomed so large over her life. Of course, her mother is not the only subject addressed on this record. "Three Babies" deals with the miscarriages Sinéad went through and accepting those children who will never come to be. "The Emperor's New Clothes", a bouncy alternative rock composition with striking guitar riffs from former Adam and the Ants guitarist Marco Pirroni, showcased Sinéad's defiant personality in the face of this newfound success. The remix of "Jump in the River" from the Married to the Mob film soundtrack was equally hard-hitting, continuing to relish in this rebellious nature. "Last Day of Our Acquaintance" crescendoed from a soft uneasiness into unbridled fury as she confronted this ex-lover. Probably the most eye-opening song for me was "Black Boys on Mopeds", detailing the tragedy of Nicholas Bramble, a young black boy who was wrongly assumed to have stolen a moped. Sinéad got outright visceral in her accusations of the police force under Margaret Thatcher's rule, with the firm belief that they would not have aggressively pursued Nicholas if he were white. If it wasn't already apparent, I was genuinely moved by this record. Strikingly realized writing, combined with Sinéad's beautiful voice and such lush atmosphere and variance in sound, made I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got such an enduring listen. No punches were pulled, which is probably the best thing I could say about the protest figure that was Sinéad O'Connor.

634/1001 2026.06.11

Love this album. Favorite tracks: The Emperor's New Clothes, Last Day Of Our Acquaintance,

Muy buen album, aunque la canción de Prince y su video eclipsaron a las demás canciones. Gran voz.

I enjoyed this when I was a little kid. Now I find it rather dull.

solid 4.0. Composições boas, produção crua e complexa ao mesmo tempo, com performances muito potentes

Nothing on this album compares to that banger

I enjoyed this and it’s not an album I would of listened to

Sinead O’dugit

I don’t think it was ever gonna be for me. And hey, that’s okay

Nothing Compares 2 this

Surprised at how much I liked this, only downside is the aged 90s sounds, but still pretty great

not bad

Oh my God. That was rough. A touching and beautiful masterpiece, but rough. Man, what a voice.

It’s not my cup of tea, but I liked the song “jump in the river”

favs: i am stretched on your grave, black boys on mopeds, nothing compares 2 u, i do not want what i haven't got

060626 12:24 4

Really innovative.

She was as an amazing human and musician.

It is pretty dull

Every time I started to write a review for this album, it turned into a rant about organized religion and the "Christian Values" hypocrites. This woman was done very wrong and what she endured was a tragedy. F Joe Peschi to this day. As a big Prince fan, not ashamed to say she did his song better. A great song by a great artist with Sinead's performance the best. Yes, better than Chris's version too. The Emperor's New Clothes is another great tune. Also enjoyed Black Boys on Mopeds Can't say the rest of the album is the kind of music I generally play, but she has strong, beautiful voice. Thought You Cause as Much sorrow was pretty good but just a bit too much mellow for me, overall. Pretty good overall. Happy to know one of my mother's favorite artists, Kris Kristofferson (yea, I'm old) stand up for Simead back in the day. RIP brave woman!

3 Not going to lie, this is one of those albums I really wish I liked more than I did. Sinéad is an icon, and a punk one at that - it takes a lot of guts to go after the Catholic church the way she did, especially by 1992 standards, and not only was she willing to put her entire career on the line to do so, but she was never given the proper vindication she deserved when proven 100% correct. That’s fucked. And yet, it’s punk. If only we had more performers today with the courage to call out the overwhelming amount of injustice expanding around us… the world just might be a slightly better place. Unfortunately, it seems that I’m a bigger fan of Sinéad the person than I am Sinéad the songwriter. Don’t get me wrong, she’s a technically excellent performer, and this album is incredibly well-produced, it’s just that… I don’t find it overly interesting? I have nothing against a good emotional ballad, but this overindexes on them to the point where a full listen grows tedious. As such, I tended to find myself a little checked out during my listening sessions after Nothing Compares 2 U, a song that itself is, again, certainly exemplary of her musical ability, but it’s never really drawn a strong reaction out of me. Honestly, nothing here really did, despite there being some admitted diversity in sound, which sometimes felt reminiscent of Portishead, other times more akin to her Irish contemporary, Enya. If I had to name my favorite tracks, they would probably be The Emperor’s New Clothes and I Am Stretched on Your Grave (for some reason I really liked the fiddle outro on the latter), but I wouldn’t say they’re getting added to any playlists of mine any time soon. Though, if we’re talking strictly topically, then it would be Black Boys on Mopeds. I definitely raised an eyebrow when I first saw the title, but it’s actually an anti-Thatcher, anti-racist, anti-police punk song disguised as a ballad - I just wish she could have made it a bit more compelling musically. As for my least favorite track, it’s definitely the titular outro. Look, I’m aware of its technical impressiveness, but damn near six minutes of straight acapella just left me feeling very uncomfortable. If it were like two minutes, it could possibly work, but as-is, I dreaded the song on each re-listen. Again, nothing against Sinéad, but something about its presentation did not work for me at all. It's a very proficient offering from someone who I admire greatly as a human being, but for me personally, it just lacks a certain distinguishing remarkability. Nothing but respect, but I’m not in the business of trying to rate “objectively”. A 3 feels fair.

somehow remember only one song. we all know which one

Wasn't super familiar with Sinéad O'Connor, so it was nice to finally check out one of her albums here. I did enjoy it a fair bit, certainly some songs more than others. 'Feel So Different' was a marvelous opener for one. It had this gorgeous baroque instrumentation that linearly builds alongside Sinead's swelling vocals and impassioned lyrics. And her lyrics on this album are impassioned; If there's one thing Sinhead won't do here, it's sugarcoat how she really feels. 'Three Babies' for example, was pretty tragic and pretty raw in its depictions of loss, but overall, the sort of fluttery and uplifting instrumentation gives the song an almost optimistic edge. 'Black Boys Mopeds' was another pretty bold song in the mix here, but it never felt like it was trying to be over-the-top or provocative, and the topic is treated tenderly, I find, and Sinhead effectively paints a very human image of the racial injustice the song alludes to. 'You Cause As Much Sorrow' is another more difficult song here, given the conflicting feelings expressed by the protagonist. I find this album very raw emotionally; it makes it sort of daunting to deconstruct, but it's nothing that would turn me away. 'Nothing Compares 2 U' is obviously an incredible slow-ballad that I was already familiar with through the Prince version. Sinhead's take on it was pretty great, and I actually find it to be the highlight of the album. I'd say my biggest issue with the album is the at times uninteresting production - it sort of falls between alternative rock and trip-hop/hip-hop, but has an overly generic take on those sounds, I find. It's nothing too awful; the attraction here is ultimately Sinhead's voice and lyrics, and how she chooses to communicate her various struggles on this album. How much that resonates with you will ultimately determine how much you end up enjoying this album.

Sinead - love her politics/hate them... doesn't matter. She had such an amazing voice and style - beautiful! Choose to skip past, so be it, however you would be a Fool if you did not listen to her cover of Prince's "Nothing Compares to U". Truly. You're welcome

man did she have sthg to say.. Black Boys on Mopeds is my fave - great album

A unique talent and haunting voice. This follow up album to her excellent debut, though just isn’t very compelling. Without Prince’s song this album would be totally forgettable.

This album, like the woman, is maternal. Fiercely protective, unapologetically honest, and empowered. She had a quality, a rawness that was pure.

When I was junior in high school I was game for all things U2. This is peak imperial phase and to my adolescent brain they could do no wrong and albums simply weren't enough. I augmented my standard listening with anything I could find - import singles, bootlegs and the curio that is the soundtrack to a film that may or may not actually exist called Captive. Said soundtrack comprised of mostly serviceable ambient guitar washes done by the Edge. I thought it was neat and all but the real highlight was track 2. No instrumental this. Quite the opposite. My young ears were introduced on that fall afternoon of 1986 to none other than Sinead O Connor. Singing like I had never heard anyone sing before. The song is Heroine (not the VU one) A song that 40 years on still causes me to burst with emotion. So imagine what my 16 year old brain was supposed to do. This weirdly named nymph with the voice of an lost angel seemed to come out of nowhere and land in my suburban Atlanta bedroom. Pre internet there was no way to find out anything about this otherworldly voice. That would change soon enough. Mandinka burst onto the scene a year later. Same voice. Different attitude. But she was off and running like nothing else in the vicinity. Enthralling and frightening (I'm looking at you Troy) in equal measure. What a complete badass. The total package. So the mystery was over but an artist was revealed. What to say about this album...just simply thank you. I'm sorry. You deserved better. If you don't know this story it can't be shared enough...in the wake of her SNL appearance Sinead played the 30th anniversary Bob Dylan tribute concert at MSG... Amidst the boos and jeers that greet r her when she walked onto the stage, Kris Kristofferson refused concert organizers' requests to pull Sinead off the stage. He walked out, gave her a hug, and whispered, "Don't let the bastards get you down." O'Connor then bypassed her planned setlist - "I Believe in You" which the band had already started to play - and delivered a defiant, a cappella rendition of Bob Marley's "War" before leaving the stage and falling into Kristofferson's arms. That is what humanity looks like. That is a what character looks like. And maybe that's what a hero looks like. Her "controversial" actions on SNL were not controversial because they were inaccurate - rather she was speaking truth to power without saying anything. She was identifying something people were not ready to hear or didn't want to hear. Something that would only become clearer with the passage of time. She paid a huge price for a single act. May we all learn to be so brave. May we all strive to be on the right side of history.

Don;t think I've ever listened to one of her albums before. Not bad, did not like the title song at the end, but the rest of it was okay. I can tell you this ... I won't be coming back to it, or seeking out more of her albums. Just didn't do it for me.

Standouts Nothing Compares 2 U

Experimental, me gustó.

Not my cup of tea. I skipped through a lot of the songs because they didn’t grab me

Beautiful voice, but the music didn't really do much for me. Favorite track: Nothing Compares 2 U

Considering Sinéad O'Connor reputation, I expected this album to be way more political and critic, and instead it ended up being more personal and sentimental. I think the album is nice. Sinéad O'Connor voice is the main protagonist of the album, as it is very beautiful and delicate most of the time, with some moments where she gets more emotional and elevates her projection. I do like how serene the album overall feels, and I also appreciate that each song has its own elements. Some songs feature string arrangements, others have an electric guitar, another one has a piano, and so on, which means that something I can say about the record is that at least is not monotonous. Having said that, I'll confess that there isn't really anything that truly surprised me or grabbed my attention. As said, the relaxing tone is really good, but it isn't like I'm loving each song or any particular idea. So in the end, I think it is a decent singer-songwriter album with a pleasant sound.

9/10

Bit of a snoozer, this one.

"These are dangerous days To say what you feel is to make your own grave Remember what I told you: If you were of the world they would love you" Ptm que rola. Grande, un discazo, jamás le habia dado la oportunidad porque no me gusta Nothing compares 2 u. Pero fuera de esa rola, las demás son increíbles. 4.5

Desde la portada intuyes lo que te espera

Ok

Great voice, supremely talented, but just an OK album. Beyond the obvious highlights, I thought her debut and some of her later work were stronger.

It's quite good, actually. A very solid record from a very under-appreciated person. For years, I was told that Sinead O'Connor was this mentally low person who had one hit in 1990 and got her ass kicked off of SNL for ripping the church. I write this now knowing that she was a woman with much faith in herself and her heart and it's unfortunate to know that she has left us. This record puts forth plenty of personal nuances from Funky Drummer looping around an Irish poem to conscious acoustic ballads and acapellas. I don't find myself as a complete fan of this one though as some moments fall flat within the 50 minute run-time. But I will say that's an album that has won me over on who Sinead O'Connor was (7/10, 3/5 on this scale)

very chill

Can't say this did a lot for me. Not sure if it was the style or composition, but I found it mostly boring. It was also pretty much the same vibe the whole way through, without anything to break up the melancholiness. I found it to have a few good parts while the rest came off as bland or uninteresting. I feel like the point/goal of the music here was to speak to the listener. It didn't do that for me. I'm sure it has the desired effect for plenty of other people given it's placement on this list. But I don't think I'll be listening to it again. Overall: 1.9/5

This album was okay, but only Nothing Compares To You really stood out.

Have I listened to this album before? No How familiar am I with this album? I know two songs How do I feel about this artist? Not my genre, but immensely talented Pre-Listen Thoughts: Oh Sinead, you were so right about everything. I hope you’re at peace. Favorite track(s): Jump In the River, The Last Day of Our Acquaintance Post-Listen Thoughts: Seriously just so beautiful. Kind of slow for my usual taste, probably won’t revisit it much but it was a great listen.

The album was fine and I liked it fine. Taylor Swift's early pop work is likable and his a good turn of phrase. The difficulty I had with this was when it came out. 2014 was supposed to be my time and I feel like I wasted it, and I don't know what to do with or about that. It's heavy and sometimes I feel so numb about it.

nice and clean, 7/10

Bastante aburrido el disco. Le pongo 2 estrellas sólo porque tuvo sus buenos momentos.

Yeah this one just passed by. There is of course one big hit on here but other than that no songs really stuck with me after listening to it. 2/5

She sang. There were instruments. She had a few moments of this is ok.

Surprisingly a few more upbeat songs I did not expect.

UFFFFF ESTOY ANSIOSO POR ESCUCHARLO. Le tengo fe. Admito que tengo un sesgo con Sinead O'Connor, todo lo que haga me va a parecer maravilloso porque la aprecio mucho como persona. El ser alguien tan valiente y que acusa directamente a Thatcher de ser una escoria en una canción me hace amarla inmediatamente. Además su voz maravillosa hace que sus canciones se sientan como una experiencia trascendental. Me gustan más sus baladas que sus canciones más rockeras.

innanzitutto la sua voce è bellissima e penetrante, quindi già quella ti prende e ti porta. poi tutto l’album ha un tono emotivo / introspettivo (e si percepisce molto) mentre è poi stilisticamente vario tra folk, rock, pop. e poi vabbè nothing compares 2 U è una grande canzone (non sapevo l’avesse scritta Prince originariamente) bello bello bello

Great album. Fantastic voice.

Quite samey. Was very melancholy all the way through. Not a Saturday vibe for me at all.

Favorite Irish singer

Quite unlike anything I’ve ever heard. And not necessarily in a good way.

Absolutely stellar, what a talent she was.

7/10… irish pop / mellow / *1990

Genuinely emotive, socially aware pop music. Good stuff!

Solid album

A great voice, but not an album I'll be rushing to listen to again

Another artist/album that i didn't listen to at the time because i was a teenager easily influenced by the very sexist NME/Melody Maker. This is great though, what a talent.

Another dreadful album that was no where near as bad as I expected it would be - it is getting crowded among the upper mid table of the one stars. Tom.

parei pra escutar esse de noite na varanda, presenciei uma pessoa tirando a própria vida enquanto tocava jump in the river xDDDDD eu to intensamente afetado por conta disso e não terminei o álbum (tb não consegui dormir desde então) até onde eu escutei, achei meio chato

bom, eu respeito ela pq ela eh massa e tem as cara de protestar e falar as coisa etc. mas eh bem xoxo esse aqui. mto bom pra quem gosta, eu dobro e passo pro proximo

"The bald chick. What's with her head?" -Phil Hartman as Frank Sinatra, Saturday Night Live (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SdIJimk-w8) That was about as respectful as the Sinead discourse got around the time of this album. Much like Fiona Apple after her, Sinead got roasted for stating an opinion. These days they would have called it "canceling" -- but it was the men making the choices in the early 90's. Anyway, this is a damned masterpiece of an album. And if you happen to get a link that includes the bonus CD, there are some great pieces on there -- like a live version of I Want Your Hands On Me and a great cover of Mind Games. It's powerful, cathartic, and just plain badass.

She's got an amazing voice. That said, this album doesn't seem as revolutionary now as it did at the time... she certainly was an outspoken voice encouraging people to express their individuality.

The really difficult lit thing about covering Prince is that you have to put the rest of an album around it. It’s a fantastic effort.

Dramatic songs for dramatic times. Didn't overly connect with me, but certainly an interesting listen.

Bad title, but decent album

This is great

Very haunting album. Sinead has a voice that just breaks through my soul, to a frightening degree

The goat

An incredibly intense, striking statement that thrives on dramatic sonic dynamic shifts. The sparse, atmospheric instrumentation on tracks like Troy gives her powerful vocal delivery an immense amount of room to breathe. It moves effortlessly between quiet, intimate acoustic folk textures and sweeping, orchestrated art pop arrangements, making for a deeply gripping listen.

last track was ethereal on a crisp autumn walk. liked feels so different and emperors new clothes. she prevails rating systems bc it’s more than just music.

A product of my generation I’m ashamed to say. She looked at life and chose Nihilism. She hated everyone and everything including herself. Her vocals aren’t really great, just mid-range, and her game is attributable to her shock value (shaved head and alluring eyes) and he willingness to attack the establishment. She was a nut case from beginning to end, and she helped a generation learn to hate themselves too. The world is better for her passing.

What a voice, in all senses of the word. Amazing album. Devastating. Powerful.

Always loved Nothing Compares 2 U. Sadly the rest of Sineads repertoire from this album isn't nearly as enjoyable to me, which is a shame. RIP Sinead

Notable Songzeile: And I'm not going to change my mind Just because of what they said The worm has laid eggs in their hearts But not in my head Wenn ein Album mit einem Gebet anfängt macht mich das eher skeptisch. Ich muss sagen ich habe mich da durchgequält. Es gibt ein paar Momente die mir gefallen, aber ingesamt kann ich damit nichts anfangen. Sorry.

Okay, vorne weg: das Album kann gut sein ohne ein zweites Nothing Compares 2U. Und: ich kannte nichts und hatte keine großen Erwartungen. Das ist ganz auf quasi Autobiographie gemacht, die Künstlerin und die Songs wahrscheinlich absichtlich sehr kongruent, und die Themen sind emotional bis traumatisch: You cause as much Sorrow und der Titeltrack sind krasse Abrechnungen mit der verstorbenen, offenbar gewalttätigen Mutter, Last Day of our Acquaintance und fast die ganze A Seite Aufarbeitung gescheiterter Beziehungen, mit ganz viel Bitterkeit und dirty laundry; in three babies und Black Boys on Mopeds geht es zumindest metaphorisch um Mutterschaft. Das ist alles so offensichtlich dass ich es nicht mal googlen musste, dabei maximal auf Drama produziert und gemixt. Schocker: ich mags total. Die schlechten Reime, die Songdynamik die man voraussehen kann, das chorale, sogar den fucking Poem den sie mit Drum Sample vertont haben. Black Boys on Mopeds ist übrigens das beste Lied ever, vielleicht. Ich vertraue mir selbst nicht mehr. Abzug für Enya und die schwächeren Songs, die ich bei allem emotionalem Attachment auch skippe.

First impression: Wow. "England's not the mythical land of Madame George and roses It's the home of police who kill black boys on mopeds" Warum habe ich das vorher noch nie gehört? Auch unabhängig von einer der vermeintlich besten Cover der 90er-Jahre ist das große Kunst, große Stimme und eine tolle Produktion die hier und da ins kitschige und übermäßige zu fallen droht, das aber dann doch nicht tut. Zum Ende hin dann leider gefährlich nah an Roxette. Muss ja aber auch nicht schlecht sein. Find die Abwechslung zwischen Pop-Rock-Songs, Acoustic-Gitarren und Streicher-Sets klasse. Und hab ich die Stimme schon erwähnt? Bin positiv überrascht und danke dieser Liste mal wieder für die Horizonterweiterung.

This was a very good album, with some great singing. Quite sad in parts, but very Irish.

She thinks nothing compares to me ... that's really cool. I like that.

Respect.

Didn’t care for it tbh

(Robert De Niro voice) You’re stretched…on MY grave??! Favorite tracks: The Emperor’s New Clothes, Black Boys on Mopeds, Nothing Compares 2 U, Jump in the River. That four track run is fantastic.

I love Sinèad but this in’t her best work. But it does have that song. I love her Debut the Lion and The Cobra compared to it this is pretty tame. Best song apart from you know what. Is Black Boys On Mopeds. I don’t like it when people say “I was lucky enough to see …” when they’ve chosen to see that gig, given up their time to travel to it and spend their money that they presumably worked hard for (well someone did!). But I was lucky enough to see what turned out to be Sinéad’s last gig in the British Isles - the Villa Marina Douglas Isle of Man. It was fantastic as were the other times I saw her. Anyway I was unlucky enough to have the local Minister of Business next to me and the Treasury minister in front of me. Probably a freebie. They kept leaning over to talk to each other and “network”. They made sure they were applauding wildly whenever she called for “peace” or “compassion”. But during Black Boys on Mopeds, a song in part about the hypocrisy of politicians, they shut the fuck up. She was a fansdtc singer, a brave compelling live performer and I urge you to check out her work beyond this lp.

Really enjoyed the vocals. The songwriting: not so much

Not really my style

Good but not my style I guess

i had no idea her music was so cool, awesome stuff.

Ho hum

I went in expecting to like this more than I did- Sinead O'Connor had a lot of buzz and mystique surrounding her growing up. That album was good but nothing really stood out. Her voice came be a little grating after a while.

Rest in Piss

I dont think I have the patience for this

Not bad Irish singing. But not my style and pretty boring. The Irish have a voice that's a little too abrasive for me

Kinda boring protest music. Didn't love it.

great voice, ok songs

I expected to enjoy this more than I did. Sinead had a beautiful voice and she sounds great here. But for the most part, the songs aren't that interesting. The first several are particularly dull, so part of the issue is sequencing. The middle songs are the strongest, of course including Prince’s Nothing Compares 2 U. Overall, it's fine

Beautiful voice, and some excellent songs

Pretty good actually but kind of too long for its own good. I'm giving it a 4 because there's some strong songwriting and production here, but it's closer to a 3 in the album-as-an-experience department

Solid. 3.5

I get it. I really do. But I don't like it at all.

its fine

Coming of age shouldn’t mean twenty years old, but maybe I was a late bloomer, at least musically. This is definitely a landmark album and one that I add to my list.

O álbum me deixou impressionada com a força melódica e letras confessionais o suficiente pra gente entender o que essa obra trás junto do passado pesado da cantora. Entre recusas pra adentrar no padrão da indústria com o cabelo raspado e protestos, Sinead construiu o que chamamos de "obra desconstruida", por ser algo que não somos acostumados a ver e escutar. Sua voz e maneira de cantar me lembrou brevemente Alanis Morissete e Fiona Apple (onde ambas vieram depois), misturando o que as duas tem de melhor, o estilo. Com a faixa "Nothing Compares 2 U" que foi escrita por Prince, onde o próprio ficou em um misto de amor e ódio com o sucesso dela e que teve todo um rolo em volta dessa música interpretada por ambos. Teve mais força e potência com Sinead. As minhas faixas favoritas são "Jump in the River", "You Cause as Much Sorrow", "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got" (faixa que quase transcendi escutando pois AMO uma acapella, PQP que musica boa), "The Emperor's New Clothes" e a já citada anteriormente "Nothing Compares To You", grande parte do álbum kkkjkkkj. I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got é um disco muito potente e brutal em sua honestidade, o que nos faz pensar que a atmosfera toda é triste, mas o que vi foi só um grito de libertação em forma de arte, que foi muito bem construido.

Not bad, just slow and repetitive

More like 2.5 I wanted to like it because she did a protest thing on SNL that she was panned for, but it was just kinda mostly slow and boring or long and baleful. I read some stuff about her, and she’s pretty interesting as a person. There were a couple good songs, but not enough to overcome the boring stuff

Honestly, the one hit is great. The rest was filler noise to me. I just couldn't get into whatever Vibe this was supposed to be about.

Gdansk

Suave

Terrible early 90’s production. Her voice and conviction is sincere but it sounds dated. This gets a 3 because of Nothing Compares 2 U

Dark and beautiful. Powerful and tender. She’s a phenomenal talent, and I love picking up on her Irish influence to pop music.

Prince really helped her out with one of the greatest songs ever written. I could have done without the title track. I hear influences throughout her music.

Such a fascinating and deeply pained individual. I didn’t love every song but I appreciate this for its place in culture and because I like Sinead

Je connaissais Sinéad O'Connor mais je suis bluffé par cet album. De très bons titres avec une belle voix et des paroles qui touchent. Quelques morceaux sortent du lot (en bien) et c'est très agréable à écouter.

I have no strong feelings one way or the other about this one. Solid 3 Stars.

I’m at a 10. That one got me really fucking good, man. I have sat here for 10 minutes pondering this album & how potently Sinead O’Connor lets her emotions pour out of her, and it has left me with one question that I think this album tries to answer – What does an angel sound like when it’s been abandoned by God? I think Sinead O’Connor is a woman pleading for answers throughout this album, and while I’m not sure if she ever finds them, it almost feels like a privilege to hear someone else ask the many angry questions that I have never been able to put so forcefully into words. Sure, her struggles are related to familial & romantic relationships, many of which I can relate to, but at their core, they express a distrust with life itself & the inability to reckon with struggle in a way that doesn’t fundamentally change you as a person. I do not know what an angel sounds like when it's been abandoned by God, but I know that Sinead O'Connor has come as close as anything I've ever heard with this album. That’s genuinely all I can type. I think it’s a deeply rewarding experience if you just listen to her, especially with headphones in. I found myself just closing my eyes often throughout this album, just to lock in on her even more. At worst, there’s some longer outros, but they barely matter in the big picture. This is an album you need to hear before you die. It’s that potent. It’s a 10. It might be higher.

..

I really enjoyed that. I'd never heard this album or anything beyond Sinead O'C's singles. I don't think I would have enjoyed it back in the day but the album is a interesting mix of traditional and contemporary styles. This is the sort of album that I was looking forward to hearing on this project rather than the collected works of Neil Young and Nick Cave...

Definitely not my favorite album. In the right setting, it works, but it's not an album that I would ever listen to on its own. I actually had to make a point to come back and finish it this morning before reviewing. I got bored enough that I wandered off--a first since I started 1001AG. To be clear, it was **not** the messaging in her music. I thought the lyrics and her messaging were great. It was the musical style that didn't click with me. If all the tracks had rhythms of "The Emperor's New Clothes", I might have been more tuned into the album, but I think it was just too lowkey for me. Messaging good. Jam-ability, not as good. 3 for the fact that I'd be willing to revisit it down the road and didn't hate it.

Wunderbare Stimme und eine einzigartige Frau

Although Sinead O'Connor was done dirty by the media, if I'm completely honest, there is a part of me that's always thought that if she hadn't been such a controversial and charismatic figure, she might have been put in the one-hit wonder file. Anyway, it turns out I've been doing her dirty too, as I liked this album a lot and there's definitely more to it than Nothing Compares 2 U.

Yksinkertaista musiikkia mutta ihan kivaa laulantaa.

Sinead 's voice is incredible throughout, but the songs are a bit of a mix. Whilst nothing Compares 2 U is (of course) incredible, some of the other tunes are are so-so, with lyrics are a bit too on the nose. I Am Stretched on Your Grave was a definite highlight.

Sinead O'Connor's singing is really great but the songs didn't all quite click with me, still good though 3.5*

Love Sinead

Really isn’t my thing

This is a beautiful album

Mildly surprised to discover this wasn't ten clones of Nothing Compares 2 U. There was a decent variety on show, gorgeous vocals as I expected, although the production sounds dated. Not bad.

Wow, Some of those lyrics hit hard. The biggest song on this album was written by Prince, but I much preferred guitar and vocals vs overproduced Prince. Good listen.

This might be one of those guilty pleasure albums because man, this is not my style at all but I weirdly really liked it. I loved the production, I loved the inclusion of the string instruments. I thought these songs were well written.

I was already a big fan of Nothing Compares 2 U and I was really pleasantly surprised by this album. The first track started off sleepy so I was worried at first that I wouldn’t enjoy the listen and that this would be a One Hit Wonder type of scenario, but luckily that was not the case. Many of the tracks start off from a slow and unassuming place and evolve into something entirely different. Forceful, meditative, singular, at times quiet but never lacking life. I suspect I’ll keep returning to several tracks long after this initial listen. Favorite songs: I Am Stretched On Your Grave, The Emperor’s New Clothes, You Cause As Much Sorrow, The Last Day of Our Acquaintance. Rest in peace Sinéad we miss you so much

This album has THE version of Nothing Compares To You. That alone gives it 3 stars.

Early on in the album I had settled on a 3 rating, but by the end I didn’t expect to enjoy as much as I had.

hm

Beautiful, clear, haunting... can't deny this vocal

chill de cojones me gusto. pero muy traaanqui conozco solamente nothing compares 2 U. 2/10 agregadas a playlist.

A stark, beautiful record powered by O’Connor’s raw, tortured vocals. More than 30 years later, those performances still feel unsettlingly intimate and emotionally fearless. It’s a great album—simple in arrangement, devastating in delivery, and impossible to shake.

A bit of a slow burn until you get to "The Emperor's New Clothes". Dive a tad deeper, though, and you'll really hear how much weight these words from the late Sinead O'Conner hold. Haunting, heartfelt, and unsurprisingly political given O'Connor's beliefs and experiences. Maybe not for most listener's palates, but that's the beauty of this whole list I guess!

Hauntingly beautiful and political and gorgeous. She is an icon and she deserves a 5 just for being. Luckily the album also matches.

Сара 3 Марко 3

Lyrically 5/5, musically 4/5, enjoyment 3/5. Nothing compares to you is so good. Black boys on mopeds so good. Emperors new clothes so good. Rest is good if not great. Feeling a solid 4. Rip

Not my thing but I'm glad to have given it a try, this album is something I would've never discovered on my own without this project

i really wanted to like this more! her voice is beautiful and my heart breaks for her story and her struggles. it's just not really my kind of music tbh

sinead. girl. nothing compares 2 u expanding one decent song into an entire album of empty, lifeless, stripped down tracks. i do not want what i have got here.

An understated angst. Enjoyed it more than I thought I would especially with the slow start. Obvi like Nothing Compares. Liked the instruments at the end of stretched on your grave.

Actually this was pretty great. I only knew her one really famous track so so this was really great. Not 5 star but a high value of 4 for me for sure

This is a dark and angry album. 17 year-old metalhead me in 1990 loved "Nothing Compares 2 U". That is still the strongest song on the album, but the rest of the album is more than just solid, it's fantastic. It's not a perfect album, so I'd normally give this 4 stars. But it's a high 4, like 4.7. And she gets the round-up for her bravery standing against the Catholic Church and being the canary in a coal mine with regard to the abuse cover-up scandals. To hell with the abusers, their protectors, and the people who continued to make her life hell for telling the truth. 5 stars.

Ja lkkr

Wasn't quite what I expected. Good enough but not something I'll directly add to my rotation.

I like this.. Nothing Compares 2 U is wild

i had never listened to one of her albums... cool that shes kinda like a contemporary folk.. issues songs singer. i like it. shout out ireland and they gotta free northern ireland asap

Wow. Knew the hit, but this whole album is excellent.

Pretty lackluster overall. One memorable song, some not even enjoyable to listen to. 2.9

More interesting than I would have known if not asked to listen because of this list. The end became a little repetitive for me, and the last song felt like an eternity. Shocked looking back it was only 5:47.

Influence 3. Quality 4. Hits 3. Intangibles 4. It has her hit, showcases her crazy vocal talent, and otherwise puts me right to sleep 2.

Depressingly sweet

It was a good album. Nothing Compares 2 U, You Cause as much Sorrow, and Three Babies were probably the best songs on it. Nothing was bad, but nothing else really stood out to me. Overall, I’d give it a 3.7/5!

the prince cover cooks, but unfortunately the rest is pretty self-indulgent but there's some good parts. sinead's cool.

Good voice but not a good song writer

8/10 Best songs: Feels So Different, Black Boys on Mopeds, Nothing Compares 2 U, Jump in the River, Last Day of Our Acquaintance When the songs on this album hit, they hit HARD. When they don't hit, they're... fine. Never bad, but maybe occasionally dull. The album is comprised of largely ballads, revolving around Sinead's lovely voice, compelling lyrics, and orchestra backing music (along with guitars and drums of course). The album takes the occasional foray into heavier beats or not-so-timeless 80s and 90s pop music aesthetic, which is never bad but rarely amazing. Overall it's a really impressive album (minus a few clunkers) by a musician who should have been far bigger than she was.

Nothing compares to her cover of Nothing Compares 2U. The rest of the album is not stellar, but OK! 3.7

Nothin Compares 2 U is a banger. I was ok with most of the album. Final track was haunting and beautiful. Overall, though, I’d pick up a handful of other singer-songwriter contemporaries before picking this one up.

This was a generous 3, but listening to it again, I feel that a solid 4 would be more appropriate. O'Connor really was a tragic character of sorts. As she was just starting to make it big, she basically shunned the music industry and a huge potential future by taking on political positions that were no doubt controversial for the time. 30+ years later, her activism and music have been revisited positively—the Catholic Church has never been under more public pressure than now, the music industry now confronts sexism and racism in more transparent ways, and Gen Z artists have paved the way for more liberal expression in pop music. This is a very unique album. Combining pop music, Irish poetry and prayers, and dance music with a confrontational approach, I still don't think we'll see another artist like this in our lifetime (unless we count artists like Olivia Rodrigo, who use more irony to open discussion than full-scale confrontation). First off, we all know the Prince cover—it's amazing, powerful, and heartbreaking. No compression was used on her voice for the track, which is astonishing. The other songs vary in approach but are mostly powerful. I particularly enjoyed the upbeat songs, like "You Cause as Much Sorrow" or "Jump in River," as depressing as the subject matter is. "I Am Stretched on Your Grave" was probably the first mix of Irish traditional music with James Brown. The album ends with a dirge, confounding all expectations. The content? Loss and acceptance, lives damaged or taken, and melancholy that totally fits with Irish folkloric music. The music is well played and tight, and it's clear that she was hungry and had a vision here. I'm so glad I gave this a chance—it's really good and seems to be getting more positive reviews as time goes on.

About half of the album is extremely emotional and powerful. The other half does nothing for me. Hence 3 stars.

Det är överlag bra. Gillar rösten och många låtar är grymma, melodiska. Bitvis lite daterat. Men för det mesta inte. Väldigt stämningsfullt, särskilt sista låten. Det här blir jag sugen att lyssna mer på!