The original 1990 release of this great LP would be worth the time alone. Add in some excellent remastering and a bonus disc and it becomes something quite wonderful. That original No 1 album sold seven million copies and it’s easy to hear why on a record that’s at turns heavily political, personal, heartbreaking and joyous. Aside from the ubiquitous (but truly great) Nothing Compares 2 U, Sinéad’s stunning vocal reaches its portentous zenith on the breathtaking title track, an a cappella folk journey direct to the soul, her voice soaked in enough reverb to evoke cathedral halls, sibilants kissing the stones of ages as she softly, powerfully ponders eternity.
The bonus disc kicks off with a natty little run-through of Gregory Isaac’s Night Nurse, taking in a couple of singles, plenty of B-sides and a great version of Silent Night on its way through to two cracking live tracks. The first, Troy, is a masterful performance full of dynamite dynamic and soul-baring roar, while I Want Your Hands On Me brings it all to a suitably groovy conclusion with O’Connor slinking through its rhythm like an emerald-eyed jaguar. The one problem with this is its title: on this evidence, Sinéad O’Connor, in the early 90s, actually had it all already.
