The news that Sinead O’Connor is performing two nights of her favorite Gospel songs this July is thrilling indeed. Is there a finer interpreter of spirituals out there? Well, I haven’t heard that many God songs by her that weren’t Rastafarian or self-penned but my bet is it will be great.
I saw Sinead at the Highline last year supporting How About I Be Me (And You Be You), an album I liked a whole lot, and she was off her game and the set was a disappointed. She cut her entire tour short and disappeared back into TMZ land with marriages, divorces and lots and lots of ganja. Reaching its nadir with the “how can I kill myself without my kids finding out it was suicide tweets”.
So why go and see Sinead Friday July 26th and Saturday July 27th at Lincoln Center? I believe we will get the best Sinead imaginable if what she is doing is presenting her favorite spirituals. Among the names the Lincoln Center have mentioned as influences are Sam Cooke and the Soul Stirrers, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and the Staple Sisters. Now, Sinead covering the Soul Stirrers? That would be fun.
It is part of the yearly Lincoln Center Summer Festival, always pretty out there stuff. And at the Alice Tully Hall on a Friday and a Saturday so no excuses right?
Incidentally,Damon Albarn is presenting a new musical there… You can figure it all out at lincolncenter.com. including tickets which are currently on sale.