Sinéad O'Connor

Like a lot of British pop music fans, Sinead O'Connor claims to have discovered reggae in London in the '80s. Despite the weirdness that has often punctuated the artist's work, it's still a bit of a shock that she has actually gone through with an album of reggae covers -- not to mention that she has reportedly converted to the Rastafarian faith.

Recorded at the legendary Tuff Gong Studio in Kingston and produced by internationally renowned producers and musicians Sly and Robbie (who also played drums and bass, respectively, on the album), Throw Down Your Arms has been described by O'Connor as her "way of expressing gratitude to the Rasta people." She event insists that she "would not be alive today if it was not for the teachings of Rastafari."

Surprisingly, the album is really good, thanks in no small part to the wealth of fine musicianship, production, and material that O'Connor is dealing with. Her earthy brogue is often at odds with the rootsy grooves that propel this album, especially in her readings of patois, but the consistently excellent tracks backing up her vocals make these songs work. While she wisely chooses to bypass obvious material (i.e., no Wailers hits), she does touch upon a few classic protest songs that will be recognizable to reggae fans, notably the track "War," which was written by Eric Allen and Carlton Barnett (although it's often associated with Bob Marley). The album starts off in somewhat striking fashion with an a cappella track called "Jah Nuh Dread" by Winston Rodney, whose band Burning Spear is covered several times here ("Marcus Garvey," "Door Peep," title cut). Other artists getting the cover treatment include Lee "Scratch" Perry ("Curly Locks", "Vampire") and Peter Tosh ("Downpressor Man").

O'Connor appears very respectful with the material throughout, and although she's rather out of her realm, she pulls it off much better than you'd think an Irish singer singing reggae tunes possibly could. - Cory O'Malley

There's no debating that Sinéad O'Connor is one of the great singers to come from the pop world in the late 20th century. Her recordings and live performances have underscored her reputation in spades. Throw Down Your Arms is her first official outing since her "retirement" three years previously. Despite the cover photo of O'Connor as a young communicant, the set here is strictly hard reggae -- all the cuts are covers of classic reggae tunes. Recorded at Tuff Gong and Anchor Studios in Kingston, Jamaica, and produced by Sly & Robbie -- who are also the key rhythm section on the disc -- it stars some of the cream of the scene's elder crop, from guitarist Mikey Chung to Sticky Thompson, Dean Fraser, and many others. Beginning with the a cappella "Jah Nuh Dead" by Winston Rodney (Burning Spear), O'Connor does reverential readings of these canonical reggae classics. She takes no liberties, the band is mixed right up front with her voice, and she gets deep into the dread groove from Burning Spear's "Door Peep" and the title cut to Peter Tosh's "Downpressor Man" and Lee Perry's "Curly Locks" and "Vampire." O'Connor is a great interpreter of these songs because she understands they need nothing to be complete. They stand the test of time simply because they are great songs. She wraps herself in the rhythm and the spiritual groove and lets them cover her, saturate her, and come through her into the air where she separates God from the religions of men. Dynamite singing, a killer band, and wonderful material do a fine album make. Welcome back, Sinéad. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi