Sinead O'Connor, who has recorded her first reggae album, “Throw Down Your Arms,” said she has found solace in Jamaican music and the Rastafarian faith.
“To me, I have not made a reggae record, I've made a Rasta record,” O'Connor said Monday night at a launch party for the album, set for release later this year.
The album includes covers of classic reggae protest songs such as Burning Spear's “Throw Down Your Arms,” Peter Tosh's “Downpressor Man” and Bob Marley's “War.”
“It is my way of expressing gratitude to the Rasta people, because I am one of those human beings who would not be alive today if it was not for the teachings of Rastafari,” the Irish pop singer said.
O'Connor, 38, said she discovered roots-reggae while living in London during the 1980s.
She recorded the album in Kingston earlier this year with top Jamaican musicians including drummer Sly Dunbar, bassist Robbie Shakespeare, guitarist Mikey Chung and trombonist Nambo Robinson.