How About I Be Me (And You Be You)?
One Little Indian
****
When an artist grabs headlines for something outside of their musical career, it's all too often the case that they also have an album to sell. That's the situation the Irish singer-songwriter and perennial loose cannon Sinead O'Connor has found herself in recently.
But in her case, even the most passionate cynic would be reluctant to connect the dots. The shaven-headed singer's ninth album has appeared just a month after she took to Twitter with pleas for help while apparently gripped by suicidal thoughts. The revelations came amid what appeared to be one of the most turbulent marriages in history, to a drug counsellor whom she met through the internet. Publicly splitting and reuniting twice in their first two months of marriage, at the time of writing, they are apparently back together.
The timing is particularly lousy, because How About I Be Me is perhaps the artist's strongest collection of songs since her late 1980s/early 1990s heyday. The last decade largely saw O'Connor breaking away from her rock/pop roots, with albums that veered between reggae (Throw Down Your Arms), Irish folk (Sean-Nós Nua) and hymn-like songs (Theology).
Each influence graces this release too, but they are bound together with a sound and energy that evokes 1990's monumentally successful I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, which spawned the career-making single Nothing Compares 2 U.
The singer may already be regretting the opening track, 4th and Vine. On the breezy reggae-tinged tune, O'Connor sings "I'm going down to the church / On 4th and Vine / I'm gonna marry my love / We're gonna be happy for all time". Autobiographical or otherwise, the singer's joyful ode to love and commitment makes strange listening in light of recent events. The lead single The Wolf Is Getting Married appears to throw up another red flag, however. O'Connor claims she took the title from a Muslim taxi driver in London, who told her the saying describes, in parts of the Arab world, rays of sunlight appearing through grey clouds. Whatever the case, it's exactly the kind of blissful, utterly accomplished pop that brought her to the world's attention 25 years ago.
Not surprisingly, the album also sees the devoutly religious artist making not just pot shots, but a full-on assault against her greatest adversary: the Vatican. It features two songs directly inspired by 2009's Murphy Report - the Irish government's investigation into institutionalised child abuse in the country's Catholic schools, and the ensuing cover up. On VIP she attacks other high-profile Irish acts (who remain nameless) for, as she believes, failing to join her in condemning the church. In the slow lament, she notes the Irish artists of old who willingly accepted exile for speaking out against injustice, and compares them with today's coddled stars "gorged upon what devils feed, in the shallow form of MTV". The gothy Take Off Your Shoes sees her pouring equal amounts of pity and hate on the abusers, and features the record's finest vocal, verging towards the controlled shrillness of Kate Bush or Fever Ray.
O'Connor rarely masks her messages in metaphor, or simply lets the mood of the song do the talking. Instead, she just says exactly what she means. It's an approach that many socially conscious artists try to avoid, lest they be labelled "preachy" - but as an ordained priest herself, O'Connor would probably take it as a compliment. Her direct approach produces mixed results on the album's only cover. The US singer John Grant's indie hit Queen of Denmark is a hilarious retaliation on a former lover, but the song loses most of its humour when met with O'Connor's comparatively stony delivery.
As well as covering almost all of the musical bases from throughout her career, this album shows an emotional range that few other musicians could contemplate. If it weren't for the singer's personal issues, How About I Be Me would give the impression of an artist with greater self-confidence now than at any point throughout her career.
The truth may not be as simple, but that doesn't make the record any less of an achievement.
artslife@thenational.ae
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Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
Keane on …
Liverpool’s Uefa Champions League bid: “They’re great. With the attacking force they have, for me, they’re certainly one of the favourites. You look at the teams left in it - they’re capable of scoring against anybody at any given time. Defensively they’ve been good, so I don’t see any reason why they couldn’t go on and win it.”
Mohamed Salah’s debut campaign at Anfield: “Unbelievable. He’s been phenomenal. You can name the front three, but for him on a personal level, he’s been unreal. He’s been great to watch and hopefully he can continue now until the end of the season - which I’m sure he will, because he’s been in fine form. He’s been incredible this season.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s instant impact at former club LA Galaxy: “Brilliant. It’s been a great start for him and for the club. They were crying out for another big name there. They were lacking that, for the prestige of LA Galaxy. And now they have one of the finest stars. I hope they can go win something this year.”
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 3 (Silva 8' &15, Foden 33')
Birmginahm City 0
Man of the match Bernado Silva (Manchester City)
Second Test
In Dubai
Pakistan 418-5 (declared)
New Zealand 90 and 131-2 (follow on)
Day 3: New Zealand trail by 197 runs with 8 wickets remaining
The%20specs%3A%202024%20Mercedes%20E200
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UAE - India ties
The UAE is India’s third-largest trade partner after the US and China
Annual bilateral trade between India and the UAE has crossed US$ 60 billion
The UAE is the fourth-largest exporter of crude oil for India
Indians comprise the largest community with 3.3 million residents in the UAE
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi first visited the UAE in August 2015
His visit on August 23-24 will be the third in four years
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, visited India in February 2016
Sheikh Mohamed was the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations in January 2017
Modi will visit Bahrain on August 24-25
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
UAE Team Emirates
Valerio Conti (ITA)
Alessandro Covi (ITA)
Joe Dombrowski (USA)
Davide Formolo (ITA)
Fernando Gaviria (COL)
Sebastian Molano (COL)
Maximiliano Richeze (ARG)
Diego Ulissi (ITAS)
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
The Al Barzakh Festival takes place on Wednesday and Thursday at 7.30pm in the Red Theatre, NYUAD, Saadiyat Island. Tickets cost Dh105 for adults from platinumlist.net
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
'Saand Ki Aankh'
Produced by: Reliance Entertainment with Chalk and Cheese Films
Director: Tushar Hiranandani
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Bhumi Pednekar, Prakash Jha, Vineet Singh
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
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The specs
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Power: 150hp
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Company profile
Date started: December 24, 2018
Founders: Omer Gurel, chief executive and co-founder and Edebali Sener, co-founder and chief technology officer
Based: Dubai Media City
Number of employees: 42 (34 in Dubai and a tech team of eight in Ankara, Turkey)
Sector: ConsumerTech and FinTech
Cashflow: Almost $1 million a year
Funding: Series A funding of $2.5m with Series B plans for May 2020
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
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PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Watford v Leicester City (3.30pm)
Brighton v Arsenal (6pm)
West Ham v Wolves (8.30pm)
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (10.45pm)
Sunday
Newcastle United v Sheffield United (5pm)
Aston Villa v Chelsea (7.15pm)
Everton v Liverpool (10pm)
Monday
Manchester City v Burnley (11pm)
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Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
The bio
Who inspires you?
I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist
How do you relax?
Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.
What is favourite book?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times
What is your favourite Arabic film?
Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki
What is favourite English film?
Mamma Mia
Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?
If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.
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What is Genes in Space?
Genes in Space is an annual competition first launched by the UAE Space Agency, The National and Boeing in 2015.
It challenges school pupils to design experiments to be conducted in space and it aims to encourage future talent for the UAE’s fledgling space industry. It is the first of its kind in the UAE and, as well as encouraging talent, it also aims to raise interest and awareness among the general population about space exploration.
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Apple product price list
iPad Pro
11" - $799 (64GB)
12.9" - $999 (64GB)
MacBook Air
$1,199
Mac Mini
$799