release date: Oct. 5, 1987
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,85]
producer: Sinéad O'Connor, Kevin Mooney (co-pro.)
label: Ensign - nationality: Rep. Ireland
Track highlights: 2. "Mandinka" - 3."Jerusalem" - 4. "Just Like U Said It Would Be" (4 / 5) - 6. "Troy" - 7. "I Want Your (Hands on Me)" - 8. "Drink Before the War" - 9. "Just Call Me Joe"
Studio album debut by 20 year-old Sinéad (Marie Bernadette) O'Connor from Dublin, Ireland.
The album was a bit of a surprising success, and "Mandinka" and "I Want Your (Hands on Me)" became minor hits on both sides of the Atlantic. O'Connor's rebellious looks and confronting attitude was a dividing factor as she both attracted an audience from th e former punk rock scene as well as a more obvious conservative posh crowd - and by that, she already embraced a huge audience. Chrysalis Records distributed the album for the North American market with an alternative cover as they feared the original cover would be too aggressive.
I didn't purchase the album until years later but I do recall watching her on MTV with "Mandinka" and finding the album interesting, although, not entirely pursuasive enough to actually buy it. Initially, I found the music style a bit too polished at the time. In retrospect, I have come to see it as a very strong debut where she already showed a confronting side to her personality that would always be a heavily discussed matter as well as a distracting aspect to her obvious musical strengths.
Highly recommended.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Pitchfork 9,1 / 10, Rolling Stone, Slant, Spin 4 / 5 stars ]
