Rating: NNN
Sinead O’Connor has cited Chicago blues as an influence on her 10th studio album – a collection of songs about love sung from the POV of imagined characters.
Mostly the blues manifests itself in the loud, aggressive quality of the guitar-playing, like on The Voice Of My Doctor and Harbour, two furious songs that give the polarizing Irish singer/songwriter a chance to snarl and wail with the emotional fury that deepens with each successive release.
O’Connor’s impassioned delivery elevates the most middling melodies and predictable rhymes. Produced by John Reynolds, the music is a familiar and glossy mix of jaunty singalongs, searing rock riffs, big, multi-tracked choruses and a smattering of dancey rhythms that contrast with her raw, restless singing. Closing ballad Streetcars finally gives the vocals some breathing room and focus – a reminder that O’Connor is equally compelling with little to compete with.
Top track: Streetcars
Sinead O’Connor plays Massey Hall October 24.
