SINEAD O'CONNOR
Faith and Courage


 What's so funny about peace, love and understanding? That's the
question Sinead O'Connor poses on Faith and Courage (* * * 1/2 out of
four), her first full-length album since 1994's Universal Mother.


Faith is very much a spiritual successor to Mother,
on which the Irish singer/songwriter committed one of her most
controversial acts by gracefully preaching compassion and hope
when cynicism was much more fashionable.


Of course, an O'Connor album without attitude would be like a
Jewel album without corn. On new songs such as the crackling,
hip-hop-laced No Man's Woman and the smoldering Jealous,
O'Connor asserts her fierce independence and disdain for romantic
cliches.


But unlike some of the rock chicks she inspired, O'Connor does
not wear her indignation like a badge of honor. She understands
that the best pop music comes from transcending anger, not reveling
in it. Ultimately, Faith is a work of joyful affirmation,
from the elegantly funky Dancing Lessons to the lithe,
Celtic-flavored The Lamb's Book of Life and the driving,
exuberant Daddy I'm Fine.


"I want to walk into the light," O'Connor sings on Hold Back
the Night, and on Faith, she reflects that light brilliantly.