The Seattle Times
June 1, 1990, Friday, Final Edition

O'CONNOR'S RISE CONFOUNDS THE EXPERTS

BY PATRICK MACDONALD


Sinead O'Connor is the most intriguing, most significant pop artist of the year,
and the first new superstar of the '90s.

   The compelling Irish singer, playing Wednesday at the Paramount, has
confounded the music industry with the runaway success of her No. 1 album, "I Do
Not Want What I Haven't Got," and especially the heart-rending No. 1 single,
"Nothing Compares 2 U," unquestionably the song of the year so far.

   O'Connor is not the kind of performer who is supposed to happen in these days
of slick, over-exposed, heavily-promoted figures like Madonna and Janet Jackson.
O'Connor's success was so unexpected, and so swift, that her record company,
Chrysalis, was caught off guard and had to scramble to keep up with the demand
for her records. The company's promotion department can't take any credit for
the O'Connor phenomenon - it happened without hype; a pure people's choice.

   That's reflected by her unprecedented radio success. "Nothing Compares 2 U,"
written years ago by Prince for the Family, one of his Minneapolis protege
groups (now disbanded), is so popular it's being played on all formats, from Top
40 to easy listening to modern rock.

   The video, which actually came out before the single and is probably the key
to the record's quick acceptance, is one of the most riveting clips ever made.
It's mostly close-ups of her sad face as she sings the moving song about loss
and loneliness. Her huge, doleful eyes, pale skin and short-cropped hair (she
used to shave her head bald) make her a fascinating presence. At the end of the
video, when she sheds tears, the effect is chilling.

   Other songs on the album are just as emotional, with a sense of brooding and
drama that seem quintessentially Irish. Some songs are aggressively provocative,
like "Black Boys on Mopeds," an indictment of the Thatcher government, and "The
Emperor's New Clothes" (the next single), a fascinating song about her mixed
feelings about rock stardom and the changes she's gone through since her first
album, "The Lion and the Cobra," was released three years ago and sold about a
million copies worldwide.

   The heavy songs are relieved by liberating moments of rhythm and rock,
especially "I Am Stretched On Your Grave," which mixes a punchy, hip-hop beat
with an Irish jig, and "Jump In the River," built on a powerful hard-rock beat.

   O'Connor's style has changed since that first album. She was bitter and hard
on that record, and some of the songs were overtly sexual ("Jump In the River,"
which has some graphic sexual references, was written for the first album, but
didn't make it.) Since then she has had a son and married his father, and has a
more even, though still largely unconventional, view. The fact that she backed
off playing "Saturday Night Live" last month in protest of host Andrew Dice
Clay, the sexist shock comedian, is one indication of change. She used to insist
that she was not a feminist and cared little for politics.

   One thing that hasn't changed is her amazing voice. It swoops and soars, with
keening yelps, yodels and high-pitched screams, as well as moments of sweetness
and fun.

   That voice provided the most powerful moments of her debut show here two
years ago at Parker's, when she was a stolid but hypnotic performer (the only
disappointment was that set was just 40 minutes long.) She was a cult favorite
then. This time she's a star.

   Sinead and her band now do about a 75-minute show, and she is reportedly a
much more demonstrative performer - she actually dances.

   The show will be opened by Hugh Harris, a British R&B singer with a
Princelike style.