O' Connor, The Incomparable

Back in 1986 I was working near Mornington Crescent in London and I would routinely bump into a publicist called Patrick, who worked by Camden Road. He was an affable chap of Irish descent and he often talked about his friend called Sinead, who was writing songs, making a record and giving birth.

Then one day, he brought me into his office and put a test pressing on the record player. The tune was called 'Troy' and I was transfixed.

A couple of weeks later and I had my first meeting with Sinead O' Connor. She was soft-spoken, but hated Bono with a passion. The hair was cropped, the eyes were piercing and the Doc Martin boots brokered no forgiveness. I thought she was the best. Soon there was a wonderful album that quoted from the Bible and WB Yeats, that referenced Synge and West African dancers, fierce love and a lesbian from Amsterdam.

There were controversial spats and a mind-blowing gig at the Dominion Theatre. You'd meet her sometimes and she was thriving in this new era. Then the second album came out, she went stellar and the distress also increased. I interviewed her around the time of 'My Special Child' and she spoke about her miscarriages. Then I watched her at the Bob Dylan tribute at Madison Square Garden in 1992, not long after she had ripped up a picture of the Pope on Saturday Night Live. Some of the audience cheered, but the overwhelming sound was of hatred and contempt. I've not heard anything like it since. I sat with her four days later and all she wanted to talk about was revolution.

Anyway, Sinead has a new record coming out, called 'The Wolf Is Getting Married'. The voice is perfection, the emotions are ablaze and the raw, personal ciphers take me back to that first album. In a moment, you forget about the tabloid stories, the erratic times. Listen and behold.