1987

The Lion and the Cobra - 93%

Sinead’s debut was a revolution to me years ago when I got it because all I really knew was her 90s hit "Nothing Compares to You" which was written by Prince. It was a joy to discover her debut was from 1987 all songs she wrote herself, and it was just about a perfect record at that. There is that shadowy opener "Jackie" which builds to an awe inspiring climax, the accessible dance rock of "Mandinka" and the powerful acrobatics of "Jerusalem" both showing off how good she is at singing and just how of an original talent she was, influencing stars of the 1990s after her from The Cranberries to Mariah Carey and many more. That’s an insane 1-2-3 punch to open an album, let alone a debut record. Good news keeps on coming though.

So much of the record ss made of these moody, rhythm shifting ballads that show the influence of New Age artist like Enya but so full of raw emotion that we are left picking up the pieces of our shattered souls afterwards- see the folk ballad "Just Like You Said it Would Be", the awe-inspiring, winding of "Troy" (Lyric Sample: "I killed a dragon for youuuu"), and the cathartic “Drink Before the War” that is one of the all time great 80’s songs. ”Never Gets Old” dares to experiment with other languages and backwards, overlapping vocals (guest spot by Enya herself), and “I Want Your Hands On Me” is perhaps aiming a bit too much at pop stardom but it’s the only flaw on the record. “Just Call Me Joe” is the perfect album closer too, bringing a unique calming presence to close things out. O’Connor at even a young age somehow captures the feeling of her generation so well, the songs are universal and moving.

 She died this year (2023), far too young and underrated. Perhaps the reminder of her career never lived up to this just about perfect Album, but at least she had this and the music will last forever.

Best Songs: Drink Before the War, Jerusalem, Just Call Me Joe, Mandinka

Sidenote: There were several co-writers on some of the tracks: Ali McMordie, John Reynolds, Steve Wickham, Rob Dean, Leslie Winer, Keven Mooney, Mike Clowes.