''Universal Mother'' is the fourth album by Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor, released on September 13, 1994. "That album was the first attempt to try to expose what was really underneath a lot of the anger of the other records," she explained. " George Michael told me he loved that record, but could only listen to it once because it was so painful. He had to hide it."

Background

In 1993, O'Connor started taking singing lessons in the style of bel canto. This inspired her to "talk about the things that hereally wanted to talk about".

Music and Lyrics

The first track, "Germaine", is a recording of feminist

Germaine Greer Germaine Greer (; born 29 January 1939) is an Australian writer and public intellectual, regarded as one of the major voices of the radical feminist movement in the latter half of the 20th century. Specializing in English and women's literat ...

speaking about cooperation as an alternative to patriarchy. "Am I a Human?" is by O'Connor's son Jake, recorded when he was a child. "Famine" is a hip hop track about the Great Famine, and how it impacted Ireland. The last song, "Thank You For Hearing Me", was written about O'Connor's breakup with musician Peter Gabriel, and features a trance-like backing track. The majority of the songs use "delicate piano-based arrangements".

Artwork

O'Connor painted the cover art, which was inspired by a rebirthing session she experienced, and her song "All Babies".

Critical reception

In ''

Hot Press ''Hot Press'' is a fortnightly music and politics magazine based in Dublin, Ireland, founded in June 1977. The magazine has been edited since its inception by Niall Stokes. History ''Hot Press'' was founded in June 1977 by Niall Stokes, who co ...

'', Bill Graham said that it is "definitely the record of an artist determined to restart, with a totally new set of basic principles". Noting the album had divided critical opinion, he suggested that its art-as-therapy approach resembled early solo work by

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

. O'Connor explores "the uncharted depths" of "the real loveless family traumas" which mainstream, predominantly male, rock music tends to avoid, and Graham believes her journey is made more intense by her identity "as both a mother and a daughter". Listening to the album can be "unnerving", as O'Connor "can still sing like an angel but she also sometimes writes lyrics like an emotional dyslexic." Its predominant style is "a bare chamber-folk." For ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'', Stephanie Zacharek characterized ''Universal Mother'' as "record making as therapy", and described it as tenderhearted and protective.

Track listing

Note: "Famine" quotes the song "

Eleanor Rigby "Eleanor Rigby" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1966 album ''Revolver''. It was also issued on a double A-side single, paired with " Yellow Submarine". The song was written primarily by Paul McCartney and credited to L ...

" by

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. *Sinéad O'Connor – vocals, piano * John Reynolds – drums, programming *Dave Clayton – keyboards, programming *

Marco Pirroni Marco Francesco Andrea Pirroni (born 27 April 1959, London, England) frequently credited simply as Marco, is a British guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He has worked with Adam Ant, Sinéad O'Connor, Siouxsie and the Banshees and man ...

, Ivan Gilliland – guitar * Tim Simenon – programming *Nicky Scott,

Matthew Seligman Matthew Seligman (14 July 1955 – 17 April 2020) was an English bassist, best known for his association with the new wave music scene of the 1980s. Seligman was a member of the Soft Boys and the Thompson Twins, and was a sideman for Thomas Do ...

, Clare Kenny – bass *

Phil Coulter Philip Coulter (born 19 February 1942) is an Irish musician, songwriter and record producer from Derry, Northern Ireland. He was awarded the Gold Badge from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors in October 2009. Coulter ha ...

– piano, keyboards, backing vocals *John O'Cane – cello *Voice Squad – backing vocals *

Irish Chamber Orchestra The Irish Chamber Orchestra (ICO) is an Irish classical music ensemble, administratively based at the University of Limerick. János Fürst founded the ICO in 1963. The ICO consisted only of strings as its regular ensemble for many years, adding w ...

– strings

Charts

Certifications and sales

References

1994 albums Sinéad O'Connor albums Albums produced by Tim Simenon Albums produced by Phil Coulter {{1990s-alt-rock-album-stub