I Do Not Want What I Have Not Got (41/100 Greatest Irish Albums)

Her highly personal debut The Lion and The Cobra released three years previously showcased the young Sinead O’Connor’s precocious and highly individualistic talent. But it was the follow-up I Do Not Want What I Have Not Got that made her a worldwide star.
The key track here is, of course, the massive worldwide hit, ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ which reached No.1 on both the UK and US charts in early 1990. Originally written by Prince for a Time spin-off called The Family, O’Connor completely re-invented the song, injecting it with a depth of emotion rarely heard on record – never mind on a chart-topping pop single. The album released in March of 1990 touched on equally strong emotions on tracks like ‘Feel So Different’ and even featured a James Brown drum loop on Philip King’s ‘I Am Stretched On Your Grave’. An unforgettable record.