National Concert Hall, Dublin
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Sinéad O'Connor's previous performance at the NCH was in the summer of last year, and the tenor of it brought to mind a few lines from one of her early songs, The Emperor's New Clothes (which is on her 1989 mainstream crossover second album, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got): "Whatever it may bring, I will live by my own policies, I will sleep with a clear conscience… Maybe it sounds mean, but I really don't think so. You asked for the truth and I told you."
The compulsion to tell the truth – the kind that first causes pain, and then, hopefully, reflection – is at the core of O'Connor's most expressive art, and it's there again in her recently released album, I'm not Bossy, I'm the Boss, from which O'Connor performed seven songs.
Between this album and her previous one, 2011's How About I Be Me (And You Be You)?, it looks as if the singer has found her songwriting groove. Each of these albums is laden with great pop songs imbued with honesty and insight. For people who like having tunes to whistle and lyrics to ponder, they might just represent a coming of age for a performer all too readily dismissed in the past for being far too uncooperative with her music and her world.
There are distracting problems, however. The first is the sound mix, which too often dampens O’Connor’s remarkable voice (throughout the show, also, O’Connor constantly fusses with her own monitor, which interrupts the pacing). The second is the occasional disparity between the riveting content of the songs and the music that drives them. Sometimes, you feel, there should be less traditional rock tropes and just a bit more overtly experimental edge to proceedings.
What makes it all worthwhile is, of course, O’Connor. She doesn’t say much between songs – she seems slightly nervous, in fact – but she remains a commanding figure, full of purpose, potency and conviction. Is she on the way to creative invincibility? Never say never.
