http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006LEHOL2/?tag=imwan-20

1. 4th and Vine
2. Reason With Me
3. Old Lady
4. Take Off Your Shoes
5. Back Where You Belong
6. The Wolf Is Getting Married
7. Queen of Denmark
8. Very Far From Home
9. I Had a Baby.
10. V.I.P.

I am looking forward to hearing Sinead sing "Song To The Siren" and the John Grant cover, "Queen Of Denmark".

Really looking forward to some new music from her.

D.

This has been pushed back to 2012, as posted in this rather lengthy posting from Sinead's website (dated June 21, 2011):

news from fachtna

'hello everyone, another, long delayed, update for you on sinead's activities, plans, etc. etc. it has been a crazy few weeks since i last posted something so i thought i should fill you in on whats been going on and whats not been going on.

okay, i will get straight to the point; the full length, HOME, has been put back again, til early next year. i know, i know, i know, lots of you will be disappointed, frustrated, maybe some even angry, confused, wondering what the F is up. thats exactly what sinead feels also - especially disappointed and frustrated. she, along with all of you, was looking forward to getting out there in the autumn to play the new material live with a brand new band. however, aspirations are one thing, reality another. there are many companies, large and small, who are very excited by the material they have heard from HOME and there have been a number of proposals from those who would like to be partners in the release/distribution process. comments have ranged from 'this is her comeback record' to 'wow, these songs blow me away' and 'now we're talking, this is sinead as i have always loved to hear her'. there have truly been no negatives.

however, because everything about this record, and the reactions, feels so good, i want to make as sure/certain as possible that the partners we chose are as close to being the correct ones as we can get. and that takes time; for instance, one company was highly enthusiastic, was ready to ensure release in early sept., was engaging in detailed discussions about what would happen in individual territories - all very positive and progressive - and then, when i started to actually negotiate the finer, important details, the company decided to withdraw, meaning the deal on offer was a 'take it or leave it.'

another company was ready and willing and enthusiastic to release but wanted the deal finalised first before it would begin to discuss the, again, finer, important detail of what promotion/marketing/etc. campaigns would be undertaken in individual territories. when i pushed them for that information, i was told i was being 'gnarly' which, of course, met with a short, sharp response!

i am telling you all this stuff so you can get an insight into how things are/can be in the music so called business. we are currently making great progress with a couple of other potential partners but i realised a some time ago that there is no point in trying to get HOME out in, lets say, early september just for the sake of having it out by then. we need the proper relationship with the proper company, this record is too good and too important and it deserves the best possible treatment.

so, whether you are disappointed, frustrated, angry, pissed off, etc., i am sorry - and i really mean i am sorry - but circumstances dictate that we will all have to be a little bit more patient. you know that versions of three of the new songs have been posted on this site for the past while back, some people, i noticed, have even put together clips on youtube to go with, especially, take off your shoes and that is fantastic. please continue to be supportive; as i said, sinead is also disappointed but she understands that difficult decisions are sometimes necessary.

On wed, june 22nds, sinead has the first performance of a small number of summer acoustic shows, it is in sofia in bulgaria and will be followed by moscow on june 24 and st. petersburg on june 26. all the acoustic shows will feature versions of some of the songs from HOME plus a somewhat different set of songs from throughout her career. then she will be rehearsing with the brand new electric band for the three shows in manchester, u.k., on july 1, 2 and 3. they are, thankfully, sold out and it will be great the hear some of the new songs with the full band. details of the remainder of the summer shows are here on the website.

thats it for now, thank you for taking the time to read this post and if anybody is really really really feeling nasty about the postponment of the HOME release you can blame me. okay?'

BUMP: Added cover artwork, tracklisting, and order link.

Here is the original review, which I used to start this thread on April 17, 2011 when the album was going to be entitled "Home" (thought it looks like "Song To The Siren" is missing):

Review of the new album from Ireland's Independent:

Welcome Home, Sinead -- you are back to your best

It's been four years and five months since she took her music away. But 'Nothing Compares 2 U' singer Sinead O'Connor returns with what could be one of the best albums of her career in early summer.

Although not out till June, The Diary got an advance copy of the new album from Sinead this week and it hasn't been off our iPod since.

Home is a startling return to form for the singer.

Unlike 2002's traditional Sean-Nós Nua album, 2005's reggae record Throw Down Your Arms, or Theology, her last album in 2007 which tackled spirituality, Sinead's new record goes right back to the straightforward music which turned her into a global superstar during the '80s and '90s.

"It's different from the last few records which had a theme around them. This is just a collection of pop songs," Sinead told me this week.

But what a collection. Firstly there's the cover versions: There's a take of '60s singer Tim Buckley's 'Song To The Siren', that stands up even to the Cocteau Twins. There's one of 'Queen Of Denmark' by US singer John Grant, whose debut album of the same name was voted Mojo Magazine's 2010 Record Of The Year. And another by local troubadour Damien Dempsey, 'Factories'.

However, it's the original material which will enthrall listeners.

Some will interpret album opener '4th & Vine' as a love song to Australian musician Steve Cooney whom she married last year, along with 'Old Lady' and 'Come Down With Me'.

The polar opposite is 'Reason With Me' which has Sinead singing from the point of view of a junkie who pulls "the odd highjack" with "a hyperdermic in my backpack".

She explained: "I've had lots of friends who were heroin addicts in the past, who did all sorts of extreme things and had mixed feelings afterwards."

Stand out track 'Who is The Real VIP' has Sinead ridiculing shallow celebrity to warn about a time to come when "there'll be no make-up and no film crew. No Vuitton bags and no Manolo shoes."

But the best thing about Home is Sinead's voice, which has never sounded better.

You can understand why, when brother, best-selling novelist Joseph O'Connor recently heard Home, he volunteered to write the sleevenotes, a 1,000-word essay in praise of his sister whom he calls "a flesh 'n'-blood woman, who made her mistakes, and couldn't suffer fakes".

"Joe suggested the title too. I didn't have a name for it so when Joe said Home. I thought "brilliant, that's it'," she told me.

Home is far better than any Prince cover.

Nothing Compares 2 U Sinead.

(c) 2011 Independent.ie

Now streaming over at NPR. Massive return to form, if you were a fan of the first 2 albums, you need to hear this one.

Bought a used promo copy of this this weekend. Really loving it.

Thanks for the tip. I always thought those first two albums were her best, especially The Lion & The Cobra, so I'll have to check this out.

Despite all her strange behavior, she never lost that voice. She did a tune on the Rugrats Movie in the late 90's that was killer.

Thanks for the information on the NPR stream. This sounds terrific!

Amazing that she can sound this good given the travails of her personal life. I may have to pick this one up. Smart move getting it out there where people can hear it for themselves. That should drive some sales.

Love the title. Haven't heard anything she's done in MANY years.

I can't believe that not a single person on IMWAN has any thoughts on this new Sinead album! I really like it when I listened to it on NPR last week, and I think it is one of her strongest albums in years! Her cover of John Grant's "The Queen Of Denmark" is exceptional, and her original songs are especially strong. I thought her last album "Theology" was a bore (in BOTH versions), though I did like the reggae album "Throw Down Your Arms" before that. I also liked "Faith And Courage" quite a bit when it was released though I haven't listened to it in quite some time.

Has anyone else listened to this album? I'd love to hear some other listeners' thoughts! The print reviews have generally been pretty positive. I am disappointed that "Song To The Siren", mentioned in an early pre-release review, does not appear here -- I'm sure Sinead would do a great version of that.

I just don't understand why it's so difficult to get conversations going on albums that are NOT Van Halen, Rush, Bruce, etc... It is very frustrating and I guess one of the reasons that I visit the Hoffman boards more than IMWAN these days...

I've posted about this album on the Hoffman site, but, you're right Patrick, this album deserves attention. It's a brave, raging, inspiring set of tunes. She has not lost one iota of her vocal abilities and the songs, from the folky strum of "4th and Vine" to the incandescent cover of John Grant's "Queen of Denmark" serve her very well. They are smart, questioning, mournful, funny and full joy at being alive. Her music is informed by her life and passions, and she has never been afraid to put herself out there, which I think is a gift unto itself. She is a remarkable talent who has rediscovered how to mix her huge passion with great songs and performances. This will easily make my best of list at the end of the year, and anyone who doesn't hear it is missing out on something very special.

I also think you've hit on a problem that exists both here and on the Hoffman site (perhaps a bit more there), and that is a distinct leaning towards the old classics and a lack of interest in exploring new things. I also think there is a problem with a distinct misogynistic, boys club slant to posts and attitudes regarding female artists who aren't hot and sexy. Again, more there than here. The innate homophobia in both places is for another post.

Wow...this kind of surprises me. Maybe I'm just naive, but I don't feel like I've seen this here at all.

Ralph: I enjoy reading your posts regarding this album, both here and on the Hoffman site.

I couldn't agree with you more regarding Sinead's latest recording, which really is pretty stunning. On a personal level, sometimes it is frustrating because as you state "she has never been afraid to put herself out there", though it makes her come across as a contrary, contradictory mass of confusion; at the same time, it also serves to make her a "real" person, and not some artist on a pedestal.

And don't even get me started on the misogynistic, homophobic boys club slant to so many discussions! It IS very frustrating when so many a conversation about female artists reverts to a discussion of their appearance!

To me, Sinead is one of those pretentious, humorless artists from the 1980's that, well, I didn't care for back in the 1980's. Sorry. (Not sure if that makes me misogynistic or an innate homophobe.)

It's there, but it's subtle, and it would go by most people. Sometimes people just think they're joking around, but everyone views things differently.

Don't forget to ridicule Oasis, guys.

Well, those guys are just thick.

Don't even get me started

Thanks for the review. I love the title of the album & was curious if it was any good.