Track Listing

1. This Is to Mother You
2. I Am Enough for Myself
3. Petit Poulet
4. My Love
5. This Is a Rebel Song
6. He Moved Through the Fair [Live]

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #178454 in Music
• Released on: 1997-08-12
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: EP

Album Description
Gospel Oak was written by Sinéad and produced by John Reynolds and was originally released in June 1997. Includes the track's 'This Is To Mother You', 'I Am Enough for Myself', 'Petit Poulet', '4 My Love', 'This IS a Rebel Song' and 'He Moved Through The Fair' (live). Sony. 2006.

Amazon.com
Sinead O'Connor's first release since the 1994 album Universal Mother was 1997's six-song EP intriguingly titled Gospel Oak. Lost in the startling collapse of EMI Records, it reappeared on Columbia, and American listeners have a second chance to enter its world of soothing, unhurried Celtic-rock. Despite the title, this outspoken critic of Irish Catholicism hasn't made a religious record, although it might be described as spiritual. Somewhat less than profound, it is nonetheless quite appealing in its modest way.

It opens with one sweet, reassuring lullaby, "This Is to Mother You," for an adopted child, and adds another, "Petit Poulet," two songs later. There's a rumbling rhythm underneath supplied by O'Connor's husband/producer/drummer John Reynolds, but the foreground is dominated by acoustic instruments that encourage the warm, whispery side of O'Connor's voice. Even when she turns to love songs for herself ("I Am Enough for Myself") or for Reynolds ("My Love"), the hushed gentleness of the vocals and arrangements make it seem as if she were still singing in a child's nursery. "This Is a Rebel Song" may borrow its title from Bob Marley and its theme from the ancient English/Irish conflict, but it, too, has the qualities of a child's fairy tale, suggesting that the two countries are like quarreling lovers who only need marriage counseling.

For all its charm, though, Gospel Oak reminds one of O'Connor's weaknesses. When she pushes her voice, it has a tendency to go thin and shrill (most noticeably on a live version of the old Irish folk song, "She Moved Through the Fair"). And her lyrics often strain for a meaningfulness they rarely grasp. --Geoffrey Himes

Customer Reviews

Her best, her brightest, her most beautiful...
Sinead fans were perplexed when, suffering a six-year hiatus between full original albums, Mizz Banshee released this vicious teaser. It turns out to be, perhaps, one of the greatest *incomplete* artistic canvases ever proffered by a recording "star." Gospel Oak, though an EP, is easily Sinead O'Connor's most realized, honest, defining, and elemental work. Owing to her intriguing behavior as an artist, she toured the world to support this teeny little acoustic, made-in-the-bedroom record, while she refused to tour behind Atlantic's multi-million dollar "Let's Re-invent Sinead!" whopper in 2000...the expensive 'Faith and Courage' album. However, this little forgotten piece of brilliance is the record where she truly rediscovered her jaw-droppin' chops as a songwriter, after the hell America put her through in 1992. Turns out that America learned a bit more about the Pope's organization in the meantime, and Sinead, who had effectively squelched her mainstream career, will never recover while the papacy will continue to drag on. But... every song on this record is a vocal masterpiece, a gem of poignant-yet-incisve songwriting, and sheer genius that, for a change, makes somebody actually proud to be a member of the human race. If you can get a copy of this widely shifted disc...do it. Don't put it off. You want real magic in your tired life? Look no further. I am not remotely using hyberbole here. 'Gospel Oak' is *that* good.

SINEAD at her best.
I was somewhat disappointed of Faith and Courage because it didn't meet the standards of this release.

Musically this is gem. Vocally it is amazing. It works because sinead is at her best when she just takes it and goes with it. When she tries too hard to make a point, it fails. This album is pure love, devotion and works.

When critics(men usually;I am a man by the way) review her, they drag her down because of things she does. ...

When I play sinead, people come to me and ask who is this. When they find out it's her singing, they are surprised. She's worked with so many people, awhich is her strength. From soundtracks, to groups, world artist etc...
I have turn so many people over to her real talent.
Sinead is a woman who sings, she has more in her catelog that I
wish people would hear.

Sineads voice is a soothing voice, yes a lullaby, I feel at easy when I listen too this album, at peace.
Too bad there are not audio clips. ...

A Rare Gem
I bought this recently after seeing it in a shop for the first time [in Australia].
From start to finish it is a collection of beautiful, gentle music. The lyrics are some of her best and the instrumentation often sparse but perfect. The highlight for me was the last track, 'He Moved Through The Fair', a live recording spotlighting the quality of Sinead's voice.