Sinead O’Conner is our featured artist for Sunday Jams. A wonderfully talented, brave, paradox of a human being. And now she’s gone. Suicide. One more contradiction for the road. Sinead had said in interviews that she cut her hair so short because she didn’t want to be considered ‘pretty’. She wanted the focus to be on her art. Which, of course made her all the more beautiful to her fans. Sinead O’Conner was an incredible talent. Her songwriting, her voice, her passion and honesty. All of it. Just a rare, rare gift. She will be missed. For today, we’ll focus on her art. Her music.

A friend of mine worked at a record store back in the day and turned me on to “The Lion and the Cobra”. Sinead’s first album. It was a ‘stop in your tracks, who the fuck is that‘ moment. Was an instant fan. Her voice, her anger, her heartache, the beautiful contradiction of it all. Her music was just outstanding and had a depth that was real. There wasn’t anything fake or ‘pop’ about anything she did. That was what everyone else discovered with her cover of ‘Nothing compares 2 U’. Sinead didn’t perform that song. It was a recording of a real moment. There was no act. It was a person opening a window and letting us see inside. An incredibly brave thing. To have the courage to let the world know just how much hurt you were going through. Another beautiful paradox. Sinead O’Conner. Fearless and fragile. A handful of songs from her on Sunday Jams.