'SEAN NOS-NUA' ALBUM REVIEW from THE HEALING ROOM

THE BALLAD OF PEGGY AND PADDY
Whats behind the infectious melancholy of 'Sean Nos-Nua'? The Healing Room explores............

Every Sinead O'Connor record is an event worth waiting for, and 'Sean Nos-Nua' ("New Old Songs") is no exception. For the second time in her career, Sinead has released a cover album (the first being the jazz standard 'Am I Not Your Girl?' from 1992), and this time she covers traditional Irish classics. Not that this is a bad thing, but Sinead covering these somewhat-less-than-stellar Irish 'classics' was something that was a long time coming. Shes been singing several Irish standards at her concerts for years, and it seems that 'Sean Nos Nua' is a culmination of a lifetime's yearning to make some sort of permanent record of this passion. The timing of this record is indeed questionable. Whether it marks one last desperate attempt by the songstress to make a living off her musical career, or whether its an honest attempt at trying something new, is left to debate. It is very easy to assume that Sinead is trying to cater to the Celtic market (and Lord knows theres one on every corner these days) and thereby singing these 'traditionals' even though she may personally despise them, but I'm willing to side with her this time and assume that she loves these songs. Everything about the album tries to tell us that Sinead had a whale of a time making this - the collaborators are Irish legends, and the musicians are the in the world of Celtic music, but methinks the lady insists too hard. The blurb on the cover says 'This is the album I always wanted to make' or some such. Good for her, if its true. Shame then if its not. Every creative genius has sold out at some point - the straw that broke the camel's back for me was when Enya released her made-for-Lifetime crap entitled 'A Day Without Rain' a couple of years ago, and when we had to suffer the indignity of hearing 'Only Time' open every newscast post 9/11. Lets give O'Connor a living chance here though. Onward ho.

While lovers of Celtic music may find themselves a little taken aback by the song selection and the delivery, longtime Sinead fans will, after some reluctance, open up to this album as if it were a long lost friend. O'Connor fans have a tendency to swallow every petridish their Goddess swings their way with a sort of passion usually displayed by the newly lobotomized. That said, think of it as the farmer's companion to 'Gospel Oak'. And thats a compliment. 'Sean Nos Nua' is also the first Sinead O'Connor album to be released on an independent label, which gives it that quaint, folksy touch that was sorely missing from her last outing with 'Faith and Courage' on Atlantic Records.

'Peggy Gordon' is the first song, and possibly the finest on the entire CD. It is, as Sinead says, a love poem between two female lovers, but it is also something of a tragedy, it terms of its' message. It may seem odd that a song about unrequited love - that most depressing of things - should open this album, but it definitely sets the tone for the rest of the experience, and when a happy tune does set in, it comes as a welcome relief.

'Her Mantle so Green' has already appeared on an old Sinead B-Side (it was actually the B-side to 'No Man's Woman' from a couple of years ago) but it finds new life here. It shares much in common with the next track 'Lord Franklin' as both are story-songs, and while these can get very tiring if handled by the wrong singer, Sinead does a fine job of sustaining our interest.

'The Singing Bird', which is the fourth track off the CD, actually appeared on Iarla O'Lionaird's last album 'I Could read the Sky' as a soaring duet - the album also had Sinead singing the lovely 'Roisin Dubh'. This again finds new life here in a more stripped down version. Then theres 'Molly Malone', a common Irish song that is definitely the second-best song on the CD. I remember learning this song in school and always wondered what happened to Molly (we weren't taught the last verse). Good thing they didn't teach us, it turns out, as poor Molly meets the same fate as many of the sad heroes that pollute this CD - or so it seems. And if you're wondering whats behind 'Paddy's Lament', it doesn't take much listening to figure out whats ailing the poor beaver.

'You are Welcome Home' (Óró, Sé Do Bheatha 'Bhaile) is the standout track here as its the only one that bothers to get its groove on. Even by Sinead O'Connor standards, this is pretty groovy, easily more infectious than anything on the dull-as-dishwater incident that was 'Faith and Courage'. The stunning 'The Moorlough Shore' is easily one of the best Sinead O'Connor ballads, in the class of 'On Raglan Road' and 'Mna Na H'Eireann', but with an aching pain behind its' brave facade. Very poetic and wonderfully rendered. However, don't get too excited. As with every Sinead record, the individual parts do not the sum make (or something like that). While 'Universal Mother' had its 'John I love you', 'In this Heart' and 'Thank you for hearing me', it also had skunk-infected turkeys such as 'My Darling Child', which had teenage mutant ninja turtles everywhere rolling in their graves. 'Sean Nos-Nua' would do splendidly if you picked out a track and random and threw it at a listener (which is what Vanguard did when they were previewing the album - a new track each week online), but if you try to digest it at one sitting you might end up taking out your aggression on the clueless cook. The truth be told, every album is either a gem or a bag of sewer waste, depending on who its played to. While some might find this album a 'revelation', a 'divine gift worth bowing before' etc, there are others who might volunteer to spend their time listening to Germaine Greer audio books rather than sit through this 'album'. As it is, 'Sean Nos-Nua' to me, falls decidedly between the two categories. Could you imagine Patsy Stone listening to this, for instanc?.

Unfortunately, there aren't too many upbeat songs here, and even the most hardcore Sinead fan will find themselves groaning after a while. When I let the CD roll into track 10, I was ready to toss it out in favor of 'Universal Mother' or even the more tawdry 'The Lion and the Cobra'. As it is, 'Sean Nos Nua' is definitely inaccessible to a majority of listeners, and may even serve to alienate Sinead's already dwindling fanbase. As a hardcore fan though, I must say that I found that I was FORCING myself to like this album, and the truth of the matter is that I really didn't like it once I had listened to the entire thing. As much as I adore Sinead, I think that this is a very personal album - meaning that shes probably the only one that thoroughly likes it. Its got too many holes, too many superficial touches, and way too many Sinead-whispers passing for singing. This is one aspect of her that rendered 1992's 'Am I Not Your Girl?' useless to the vast majority of her fans. When a song asks for whispering the lyrics, thats fine, but when you're supposed to be singing this glorious tune and instead you're tip-toeing all over the track, you're in trouble. This is yet another drawback of "Sean Nos-Nua".

American audiences should thank their lucky stars that the US version of the CD has an enhanced portion to it, with a video file and a multimedia section that is worth checking out. The video here is 'The Making of 'Sean Nos-Nua' featuring out-takes, and interviews in various locations. Its runs for a while and is pretty interesting, even though its pretty low-resolution. Other than that, the actual CD also contains the lyrics and Sinead's random notes on the songs, which makes it truly a wonderful package if you're interested in this sort of thing.

Though I despise the CD Cover, Sinead does better in the liner notes. At the time of the release of the album, Sinead had reportedly split with husband Nick Sommerlad, and this is revealed in the notes in which she does not bother to thank him. Each page contains the lyrics to one track, offset by a background of local Irish spots, roads and rural life. This is a very Irish album on the whole, and may be a bit TOO Irish - something that Celtic music listeners have noticed as well. Sinead's sudden interest in barnyards, rakes, hay, pigs and moors may all be very well, but it comes off as extremely superficial and even a bit idiotic, at the end of it.

"Sean Nos-Nua" is not quite what it wants to be. Sinead claims that Sean-Nos means 'acapella', but theres not even one acapella track here. Most of the instrumentation is hideous, but its been touched up enough to pass as 'gorgeous' to some reviewers' ears. The album is far too long as well, owing to the ridiculously insipid 'Lord Baker', where Sinead duets with Christy Moore. I like Moore, and the songs' first two minutes are very promising. But when there is no shift in tone or delivery at minute six, you sense theres something amiss. This turkey of a track runs for eleven insufferable minutes, and at the end of it, you're either looking for a good two-by-four, or a copy of Portishead's last venture into the studio.

I would call 'Sean Nos-Nua' a pretty mistake. All dressed up and nowhere to go, indeed.

Mildly recommended. If you're really interested in Sinead, get her lovely 'Universal Mother' from 1994. If its Celtic music you're after, Maire Brennan's 'Whisper to the Wild Water' should do it for you.