How About I Be Me (And You Be You)?

Be the first to write a review

Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Fred Thomas
With more and more years between proper studio albums as time goes on, often confrontational Irish pop powerhouse Sinéad O'Connor's decades-spanning career becomes less about her music and more about Sinéad as an institution, political figurehead, worn punch line, or in the worst cases a caricature of herself. With her ninth studio album, How About I Be Me (And You Be You)?, O'Connor smacks the focus back onto her powerful voice and uncanny ability to weave sadly gorgeous narratives into catchy pop songs. That's not to say a generous smattering of all the things that have made O'Connor a controversial character over the years are not touched on over the course of the ...
See more details below
CD
$11.17
BN.com price
(Save 14%)$12.99 List Price
Pick Up In Store

Pick Up In Store

Reserve and pick up in 60 minutes at your local store

Other sellers (CD)
  • All (14) from $8.78   
  • New (14) from $8.78   

More About This Product

Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Fred Thomas
With more and more years between proper studio albums as time goes on, often confrontational Irish pop powerhouse Sinéad O'Connor's decades-spanning career becomes less about her music and more about Sinéad as an institution, political figurehead, worn punch line, or in the worst cases a caricature of herself. With her ninth studio album, How About I Be Me (And You Be You)?, O'Connor smacks the focus back onto her powerful voice and uncanny ability to weave sadly gorgeous narratives into catchy pop songs. That's not to say a generous smattering of all the things that have made O'Connor a controversial character over the years are not touched on over the course of the record. Familiar subjects like sexuality and religion, and their conflicts with international politics, show up on songs like "V.I.P.," a beautifully delivered hymn addressing child abuse in Ireland's Catholic school system. The heartbreaking "Reason with Me" opens with O'Connor in the character of a junkie thief, singing "Hello/You don't know me but I stole your laptop and I took your TV/I sold your grammy's rosary for 50p." This crushing song laments wrong turns in life, with the narrator repeating "It's not too late" in a tone that only says he know it's far too late for him. While heartbreaking beauty is standard in O'Connor's sound, what's surprising on How About I Be Me is the number of lovestruck and optimistic songs. The naked confessional of "Old Lady" finds earnest pining for a so-soon-to-be-love. O'Connor goes over the mental acrobatics of being willfully unkind to her crush, because even if she were to show him a smile, everyone would know how bad she had it for him. Set to an upbeat, melodic pop curtain as strong as any of her '90s hits, this song resonates with the genuine raw emotion that O'Connor made her name on. Other highlights like "The Wolf Is Getting Married" and "I Had a Baby" are more of the same brutally bare sentiments over contagious hooks. The climate inside Sinéad's head is just as tumultuous as ever, but the resultant beauty and electric rage have culminated in an album as raw and open as anything she's produced in years. How About I Be Me (And You Be You)? is a delicately balanced picture of despair and hope, and a fantastic reminder of the musical gifts that made O'Connor important to begin with.
Read More Show Less

Product Details

  • Release Date: 2/21/2012
  • Label: One Little Indian
  • UPC: 020286198024
  • Catalog Number: 1122
  • Sales rank: 27,536

Tracks

Disc 1
  1. 1 4th & Vine (3:58)
  2. 2 Reason With Me (4:00)
  3. 3 Old Lady (3:42)
  4. 4 Take Off Your Shoes (5:27)
  5. 5 Back Where You Belong (4:15)
  6. 6 The Wolf Is Getting Married (4:22)
  7. 7 Queen of Denmark (4:36)
  8. 8 Very Far From Home (3:53)
  9. 9 I Had a Baby (4:10)
  10. 10 V.I.P. (6:36)
Read More Show Less

Album Credits

Performance Credits
Sinéad O'Connor Primary Artist, Vocals
Kevin Armstrong Guitar
Caroline Dale Cello
Sam Dixon Bass
Marco Pirroni Guitar
Julian Wilson Keyboards
Justin Adams Guitar
Damien Dempsey Acoustic Guitar
Tim VanDerKuil Guitar
Clare Kenny Bass
John Reynolds Piano, Drums
Kenny Bogan Acoustic Guitar
Technical Credits
Marco Pirroni Composer, Guitar Arrangements
Sinéad O'Connor Composer
G. Smith Composer
Adrian Hall Engineer
Justin Adams Composer
J. Grant Composer
John Reynolds Composer, Producer
Joseph O'Connor Liner Notes
A.B. O'Neill Composer
Neil Condron Cover Painting
Read More Show Less

Customer Reviews

Be the first to write a review
( 0 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(0)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identity on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

 
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously