Sinéad O'Connor
The Lion And The Cobra

Sinéad O'Connor was born in Dublin on December 8, 1966. After brief collaborations with the band In Tua Nua and with Edge of U2, in 1987, at just twenty years old, she self-produced her first album, The Lion and The Cobra. An intense and rebellious debut, which demonstrated the strong musical and stage personality (shaved head and transgressive attitudes) of the young Irish singer.

The album, whose title refers to Psalm 91 of the Bible, presents a magical and fairy-tale universe, laden with significant expressive strength. Sinéad's voice is at times violent and aggressive, while in other cases appears delicate and vulnerable, filled with loneliness and pain, but always engaging and harmonious. Her acrobatic vocalizations marry Gregorian liturgy with soul singing, Celtic ballads and Middle Eastern litanies with the vocal experiments of Meredith Monk and Laurie Anderson, punk rage with post-adolescent romanticism. The arrangements are sophisticated and lend each song a particular atmosphere that fits excellently with the overall climate of the album.
The album opens with the poignant Jackie, then continues with the compelling pop rock of Mandinka. Jerusalem is a complex composition that grafts funky lines and African percussion into an epic and spatial scenario. Just Like U Said It Would B is a folk ballad featuring classic Celtic instruments like the accordion, harpsichord, and flutes. In Never Get Old, vocal experiments intertwine with gospel and distant drum rhythms, while Troy is marked by the music of a symphony orchestra. I Want Your (Hands On Me) stands out for its decidedly funky rhythm. After the solemn Drink Before The War, Just Call Me Joe closes the work with vaguely dub atmospheres that provide a background to the softly whispered singing of the Dublin artist.

After this dazzling debut, the subsequent I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got (Chrysalis, 1990) guaranteed great commercial success thanks to the extraordinary success of the Prince cover, Nothing Compares 2 U, reinterpreted with profound and moving melancholy. The albums that followed, among which Universal Mother (Ensign, 1994), the EP Gospel Oak (Chrysalis, 1997), and Faith And Courage (Atlantic, 2000) must be mentioned, although they are valid productions, only partially manage to bring back the psychodramatic intensity of The Lion and The Cobra.
Despite not being able to repeat herself at the levels of her recording debut, Sinéad O'Connor remains indisputably one of the greatest protagonists of female rock in the late '80s and the following decade, thanks to her innate vocal talent and her confused and rebellious nature.