Variation And More

 

Last week WarChild Records, a British benefit NGO, Help(2), their second charity album that supports children in war zones. The first “Help” compilation, released in 1995 in the wake of the civil war in the former Yugoslavia, raised approximately 1.25 million pounds for the children. 

Once again, this album features well-known artists who have recorded their own songs or cover versions for this project. Since this is a social project, I will refrain from providing a detailed review of the individual tracks. 

For this irregular series on cover versions, I’ve chosen Fontaines D.C.’s version of a song by Sinéad O’Connor (who also appeared on the first compilation with an excellent version of “Ode to Billy Joe”). 

This gives me a brief glimpse into the music of the original artist. About Sinéad O’Connor—the outcast, the troubled soul, the unloved one, the martyr. Part of her fascination lies in her constant stumbles, her failures, her tendency to rub people the wrong way, and her embarrassing moments. For me, their first two albums were highlights of the 1980's, while the subsequent albums, unfortunately, did not achieve the commercial success they deserved. Unfortunately, I miss her wonderful voice.