BBC
11 June, 2000

CD Review: Sinead O'Connor
Faith And Courage (Atlantic)

By the BBC's Nigel Packer
It's been years since Sinead O'Connor's music
attracted more attention than her personal life, but
this could be the album to redress the balance.

Six long years have passed since her last full-length
offering Universal Mother, with just one EP to fill
the vacuum.

Yet she has rarely been out of the headlines during a
torrid few years which began with a very public battle
over child custody, and ended with the furore
surrounding her unofficial ordination as a priest.

Given the circumstances, perhaps the most notable
thing about Faith And Courage is its overall sense of
calm and optimism.

Sinead O'Connor has returned to form after a six-year
absence


The heart-on-sleeve lyrics are still present and
correct, but the angry Sinead of yesteryear has given
way to a more reflective version.

Heavyweight

Together with a heavyweight team of co-writers and
producers - including Wyclef Jean, Brian Eno and Dave
Stewart - she has come up with her strongest and most
accessible work in a decade.

Gentle opening track The Healing Room ushers in the
born again Sinead on a wave of ambient keyboard, and
offers an early hint of the album's expansive sound.
It's a delicate musical blend of the traditional and
the bang up-to-date - with big, memorable melodies
providing the foundation for some ambitious
arrangements.

New single No Man's Woman finds Sinead in feisty mood,
but sounding upbeat and optimistic rather than
embittered.

Daddy I'm Fine, meanwhile, is a playful and
unsentimental recollection of her early days as a
would-be rock star - based around a schizophrenic
melody which switches smoothly from relaxed reggae
verse to speed-punk chorus.

Not that it's all sweetness and light - after all, it
wouldn't be a Sinead O'Connor album without its fair
share of heart-ache and confrontation.

Jealous has a sweet melody to offset some bleak
lyrics, while The Lamb's Book Of Life is an
unrelenting tale of remorse.

Yet even in its darkest moments, Faith And Courage
manages to steer clear of self-indulgence thanks to
some crystal-clear melodies and Sinead's soulful
vocals. After a long time in the wilderness, she
finally seems to have rediscovered her siren voice.