release date: Oct. 4. 2005
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,32]
producer: Sly and Robbie
label: Chocolate and Vanilla - nationality: Ireland
Track highlights: 2. "Marcus Garvey" - 4. "He Prayed" - 6. "Curly Locks" - 8. "Prophet Has Arise" - 9. "Downpressor Man" - 10. "Throw Down Your Arms" - 12. "War"
7th studio album by Sinéad O'Connor follows three years after the fine but mostly neglected Sean-Nós Nua (Oct. 2002), and much like was the case with the former, this album consists of newly arranged cover songs. Before this she released the 2-disc compilation She Who Dwells in the Secret Place of the Most High Shall Abide Under the Shadow of the Almighty (Sep. 2003) consisting of 'rare' recordings (soundtrack songs, collaborations, B-sides) and one cd consisting of a live concert from 2002. O'Connor had been outspoken about this being her final album. It does make sense in the way it was launched and the scope of it, but obviously she changed her mind about this. Also, earlier this year the compilation Collaborations (Jun. 2005) was released by EMI / Capitol - basically a collection of songs O'Connor had made with other artists while signed on Ensign / Chrysalis.
Throw Down Your Arms is O'Connor paying tribute to the genre of reggae. She had early on in her career been influenced by reggae, and later on she also found comfort in the culture of rastafari. The album is one of a few without John Reynolds, and instead the album has been recorded in Kingston, Jamaica and produced by the legendary duo of Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, who also plays drums and bass on the album.
As a Sinéad O'Connor release the album does fall far from her initial records, and also when comparing with Universal Mother (1994) and Faith and Courage (2000), but as a tribute to a whole genre it works quite fine. It doesn't add much to the great selection of songs but of course O'Connor's vocal provides a certain novelty that turns it into something more.
For me, the album has a touch of obscurity to it that both makes it interesting / fascinating and worth checking out, and then it only really makes me wanna listen to the originals, which in a way isn't a bad thing. That could be said about her Am I Not Your Girl? album, but this is actually paying tribute to the originals instead of being something entirely diverse. It's not bad and then it's neither great.
[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5, Blender, 👉The Guardian 3 / 5, Mojo 4 / 5 stars ]
