Hamden’s Irish pub, The Playwright, was a perfect venue for this Irish-centric show. Local, young, female singer-songwriter Sam, teamed up with the musical omnivores Doc C to perform Sinead O’Connor’s 1987 debut album The Lion and the Cobra in its entirety. The album put Sinead on the map and paved the way for the mega follow-up I Do Not Want what I Haven’t Got. Good crowd in the event room for the first of two performances on this evening. Let’s start with Sam, a young woman with a “Free Palestine” shirt, a commanding voice and stage presence, she embodied Sinead’s musical activism perfectly. She said that she came across the recording a couple years ago and was blown away. She pitched the idea to Doc C, which led us to the pub. Doc C has two masterminds, Adam Matlock on keys and accordion has been positively reviewed in this blog countless times and for countless musical endeavors. Recent sightings have him performing everything from show tunes to dungeon synth. The other pillar is Brian Slattery, Appalachian fiddle expert who also plays a mean electric guitar. Joined by two Mikes on bass and drums, the group deftly interpreted the recording. Some tunes had 80s pop sugarcoating, but were interspersed with poignant political daggers. The nine tunes enabled the double set and I’m hoping some extra cash for their effort. In order: Jackie, Mandinka, Jerusalem, Just Like You Said It Would Be, Never Get Old, Troy, I Want (Your Hands On Me), Drink Before The War, Just Call Me Joe. Doc C largely deferred to Sam who had obviously spent time in front of the mirror practicing. I was sitting next to Sam’s dad who was tasked with a disposable camera to preserve the proceedings. While I could have burrowed through my CD mountain to locate this recording, I opted to let Spotify remind how great this recording was. The made for MTV pop of Mandinka to the heart wrenching balladry of Just Like You Said It Would Be, the record has something for everyone. I chuckled with Sam’s dad as to how she would pull off the Gaelic spoken word intro on Never Get Old ( the original turns out to be Psalm 91 recited by Enya). Sam had a small recorder with the passage which she held up to her microphone as she sang. Pop, torch, and angst effortlessly flowed from this young woman. I asked Adam if I could pick his next interpretation project, he’s way too busy. Glad to have attended this show, and reacquainted with a timeless classic.
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