A decade of inconsistent, spotty, or simply confusing output from iconic Irish singer/songwriter Sinéad O'Connor was redeemed with 2012's refreshingly focused and honest effort How About I Be Me (And You Be You)? That album saw O'Connor effortlessly creating the same type of emotionally charged yet easily melodic fare that constituted her earliest, most popular work, and positioned her for a graceful return to form. Two years later, I'm Not Bossy, I'm the Boss follows the impassioned pop framework of its immediate predecessor, branching out into even more vivid stylistic dimensions and retaining all the energy, controversy, and fire that have come to define O'Connor as both a musician and a political figure. Taken at face value, the songs here are vibrant and multifaceted. The album opens with a song that curiously shares a title with the record that came right before this one, a smooth alt-pop production about desire and a quest for sweetness, driven by a melancholic chord progression and multi-tracked vocals of soft, swaying harmonies. A blues structure guides tracks like the country-flavored twang of "Dense Water Deeper Down" as well as the shuffling, heavy guitars of "The Voice of My Doctor." Saxophonist Seun Kuti shows up for a guest spot on the snaky funk of "James Brown" and Brian Eno is also somewhere on the album adding synth textures in a way no one else can. When Sinéad switches into a pop mode, the results are buoyant and beautiful, as with the yearning sentiments and hooky chorus of "Your Green Jacket" or the strident, building guitar pop of "Take Me to Church." Circumstances outside of the recording studio creep into I'm the Boss. Though none of the songs overtly address the issue, the months leading up to this album saw O'Connor writing an open letter to Miley Cyrus warning her of the exploitive nature of the music industry waiting to chew her up and spit her out as she spun out into an increasingly cartoonish public persona. Cyrus responded with aloof sarcasm and distance, picking at O'Connor's issues with shaky mental health and possibly missing the point that someone who experienced the slippery road of stardom before her could offer a valuable perspective. Instead of choosing to fire off against Miley in a venomous diss track, O'Connor turns her gaze inward, reasserting how problematic the music industry can be on "8 Good Reasons" with lines like "You know, I love to make music/But my head got wrecked by the business." Despite the controversies that have swarmed around her since the beginning, unfriendly or unfair press, and a history of musical wandering that fans couldn't fully get behind, Sinéad has rarely catered to anyone. That I'm Not Bossy, I'm the Boss continues a string of strong, entirely enjoyable releases is a bonus for Sinéad's audience, but as evidenced by liner notes that proclaim "this album is dedicated to me," she's still doing it for no one but herself.© Fred Thomas /TiVo

Take Me To Church is the debut EP and by Irish singer/songwriter Andrew Hozier Byrne, who goes simply by his middle name Hozier. Released in 2013, the title track and lead single is a dark, moody meditation on sexuality which provocatively blends elements of blues, choral, and modern indie folk music. Drenched in a rainstorm of reverb, Hozier's strong voice recalls the backwoods soulfulness of Bon Iver on the dreamy "Like Real People Do," but owes more of a debt to classic blues and northern soul on the gritty "Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene." The four-song release is rounded out by the atmospheric live solo recording of the folky "Cherry Wine" complete with birdsong twittering in the background. © Timothy Monger /TiVo

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Like the first volume of the series, You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 4 was put together without a specific theme in mind. It has a little of everything, from straight rock songs to more complex numbers, from stage antics to guitar solos. All eras of Frank Zappa's career are visited (including tracks from the 1988 tour), but the '80s provided the majority of the material. Highlights include the only official recording of the live arrangement of "The Evil Prince," very different from the Thing-Fish version and truly a must-have for the fan; a rare performance of "Filthy Habits"; and impressive performances of "Stevie's Spanking" (with "Church Chat" explaining its story), "Disco Boy," and the challenging "Florentine Pogen." Doo wop lovers will appreciate the closing six-track medley that ends with "The Man From Utopia Meets Mary Lou." Those looking for historically significant recordings have only little bits to chew, like the 1969 improvisations "Are You Upset?" and "You Call That Music?" (the latter with Dave Samuels guesting on vibes), or "Tiny Sick Tears," an impersonation of Jim Morrison's Oedipus-inspired delirium. The real treat is the original version of "The Torture Never Stops," sang by Captain Beefheart over a blues motif -- not a fantastic music moment, but an important piece of Zappa history. Neglected songs, live rarities, old favorites: volume four aims at both the die-hard fan and the casual listener, but it probably doesn't fully satisfy either of them.© François Couture /TiVo

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