The Observer
September 11, 1994, Sunday

Neil Spencer


    Sinead O'Connor Universal Mother (Chrysalis CDCHEN34)

    With her penchant for making headlines outstripping her capacity to make
memorable records, Sinead O'Connor (right) has chosen an apt moment to release
her best album. Like its creator, Universal Mother is direct, emotional, chiding
and chastening. While her solemn, wide-eyed vocals were overwhelmed on last
year's orchestral album of standards, Am I Not Your Girl, her purity of voice
here is affecting.

    Most of the songs, revolving around family, feminism and childhood, and
watched over by a benevolent Goddess, get minimal accompaniment, and O'Connor's
austere version of Kurt Cobain's 'All Apologies' makes more sense of the song
than Cobain did with Nirvana. For fiery contrast there's the vengeful neo-reggae
'Fire On Babylon' and 'Famine', a spoken word diatribe on Irish history and the
Irish psyche. Fair enough, but it belongs on a different album, perhaps entitled
Sinead Says. . .