SINEAD O’CONNOR
Throw Down Your Arms
Shock Records
ORENDA FINK
Invisible Ones
Saddle Creek Records
· New releases reveal surprising turns.
We love the music we live. Growing up an Irish-Italian Catholic school boy, I’ve been nursing a secret crush on Sinead O’Connor ever since I saw her perform at the Grammys. Growing up next door to the only Jamaican family in the neighbourhood, I’ve been listening to dub and roots reggae almost as long as punk and hip hop. O’Connor’s Throw Down Your Arms is a compilation of old roots tunes by the likes of Peter Tosh and Burning Spear. Recorded at the legendary Tuff Gang Studios with impeccable production by dub stalwarts Sly & Robbie, this is an arrow pointed straight at my heart. From the whispering seduction of Lee "Scratch" Perry’s "Curly Locks" to the resolute strength of Bob Marley’s "War," her voice with its warm Irish timbre finds itself oddly suited to the pulsating horns and basslines of Kingston.
At times Throw Down Your Arms is reminiscent of I Do Not Want What I Have Not Got, as on the leadoff track "Jah Nuh Dead," a Burning Spear tune. Sly & Robbie have recaptured the haunting emotional quality of her voice and given her politically and socially conscious songs to play off. However, since the mainstreaming of Marley has washed away a lot of the religious and cultural overtones of reggae, these socio-political issues are not as overt and ought to thrill listeners who’ve been alienated by some of O’Connor’s political and religious stances. I wonder, though, how many of these fans will want to listen to a reggae album? O’Connor has said that her love of God is strong, as evidenced by all the songs here. It would be the easiest thing in the world for her to cash in on the Christian rock revival. Instead, she’s chosen to offer audiences yet another unexpected but rewarding turn.
Listeners not willing to follow O’Connor in her embracing of Rastafarianism would do well to pick up Orenda Fink’s debut album, Invisible Ones. Taking a break from her regular work with Azure Ray and Now It’s Overhead, Fink travelled to Haiti, where she became fascinated with the voodoo ceremonies. The mysticism and imagery have found their way into the songs, even lending themselves to the album’s title – Invisible Ones is a name for voodoo spirits. Backed up by an ensemble cast culled from groups like Antibalas, TV on the Radio and Bright Eyes, Orenda Fink has written a diverse and deeply personal album. "Invisible Ones Guard the Gate" is a strong and seductive piano dirge, the likes of which has not been heard since Tori Amos’s Boys For Pele. Fink follows this up with guitar-driven songs like "Bloodline" and "Dirty South" that sound like Beth Orton fronting the Jesus and Mary Chain.
O’CONNOR 4/5
ORENDA 4/5
SEAN MARCHETTO
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