The Washington Post
September 27, 1992, Sunday, Final Edition


   Sinead O'Connor: 'Am I Not Your Girl'

   Speaking of self-indulgences, O'Connor's "Am I Not Your Girl" (Chrysalis) is
just that -- and the Irish singer is quick to admit it. "These are the songs I
grew up listening to. They are songs that made me want to be a singer. That's
the 'why,' " she writes in the liner notes, clearly anticipating the reaction to
an album devoted to tunes made famous by (or associated with) Doris Day, Sarah
Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Loretta Lynn, Astrud Gilberto and others.
Unfortunately, it's the kind of album that makes you appreciate O'Connor's taste
much more than her talent.

   O'Connor is entirely out of her league on most of these songs, lacking the
vocal power, drama, personality and dynamics they often demand. The best she can
bring to Marilyn Monroe's vampy anthem "I Want to Be Loved by You" is a kind of
dilettantish charm, and her reading of "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina" is routine
at best.

   Some songs are more suited to her wistful delivery -- "Black Coffee," "Love
Letters" and especially "Scarlet Ribbons" -- but for the most part O'Connor
never comes close to rivaling her various role models. So maybe "why?" isn't the
real question. Maybe it's "why bother?"