I'm Not Bossy, I'm the Boss [LP]

by Sinead O'Connor

Overview

A decade of inconsistent, spotty, or simply confusing output from iconic Irish singer/songwriter Sinead O'Connor was redeemed with 2012's refreshingly focused and honest effort How About I Be Me (And You Be You)? That album saw O'Connor effortlessly creating the same type of emotionally charged yet easily melodic fare that constituted her earliest, most popular work, and positioned her for a graceful return to form. Two years later, I'm Not Bossy, I'm the Boss follows the impassioned pop framework of its immediate predecessor, branching out into even more vivid stylistic dimensions and retaining all the energy, controversy, and fire that have come to define O'Connor as both a musician and a political figure. Taken at face value, the songs here are vibrant and multifaceted. The album opens with a song that curiously shares a title with the record that came right before this one, a smooth alt-pop production about desire and a quest for sweetness, driven by a melancholic chord progression and multi-tracked vocals of soft, swaying harmonies. A blues structure guides tracks like the country-flavored twang of "Dense Water Deeper Down" as well as the shuffling, heavy guitars of "The Voice of My Doctor." Saxophonist Seun Kuti shows up for a guest spot on the snaky funk of "James Brown" and Brian Eno is also somewhere on the album adding synth textures in a way no one else can. When Sinead switches into a pop mode, the results are buoyant and beautiful, as with the yearning sentiments and hooky chorus of "Your Green Jacket" or the strident, building guitar pop of "Take Me to Church." Circumstances outside of the recording studio creep into I'm the Boss. Though none of the songs overtly address the issue, the months leading up to this album saw O'Connor writing an open letter to Miley Cyrus warning her of the exploitive nature of the music industry waiting to chew her up and spit her out as she spun out into an increasingly cartoonish public persona. Cyrus responded with aloof sarcasm and distance, picking at O'Connor's issues with shaky mental health and possibly missing the point that someone who experienced the slippery road of stardom before her could offer a valuable perspective. Instead of choosing to fire off against Miley in a venomous diss track, O'Connor turns her gaze inward, reasserting how problematic the music industry can be on "8 Good Reasons" with lines like "You know, I love to make music/But my head got wrecked by the business." Despite the controversies that have swarmed around her since the beginning, unfriendly or unfair press, and a history of musical wandering that fans couldn't fully get behind, Sinead has rarely catered to anyone. That I'm Not Bossy, I'm the Boss continues a string of strong, entirely enjoyable releases is a bonus for Sinead's audience, but as evidenced by liner notes that proclaim "this album is dedicated to me," she's still doing it for no one but herself. ~ Fred Thomas

Product Details

Release Date:	08/25/2014
Label:	Nettwerk / Nettwerk Music Group
UPC:	0067003102216
Rank:	17827

Tracks

1. How About I Be Me
2. Dense Water Deeper Down
3. Kisses Like Mine
4. Your Green Jacket
5. The Vishnu Room
6. The Voice of My Doctor
7. Harbour
8. James Brown
9. 8 Good Reasons
10. Take Me To Church
11. Where Have You Been?
12. Streetcars

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Sinead O'Connor   Primary Artist,Bass,Guitar,Vocals
John Reynolds   Keyboards,Drums
Clare Kenny   Bass
Ruby Reynolds   Piano
Caroline Dale   Cello
Graham Henderson   Keyboards
Brian Eno   Keyboards
Tim Oliver   Keyboards
Seun Kuti   Saxophone,Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Brooke Supple   Guitar (Acoustic)

Technical Credits

John Reynolds   Programming,Composer,Mixing,Producer
McGregor   Composer
Fred Gibson   Trumpet Arrangement
Donal Moloney   Photography
Ruby Reynolds   Composer
Kevin Metcalfe   Mastering
Graham Henderson   Composer
Rupert Cobb   Trumpet Arrangement
Sinead O'Connor   Composer
Tim Oliver   Mixing
John Rummen   Design
Graham Bolger   Engineer,Vocal Engineer
Justin Adams   Composer
Graham Kearns   Composer