Barnes & Noble
12 June 2000

SINEAD O'CONNOR
Faith and Courage

 If anyone deserves to drape an album in a title like FAITH AND COURAGE,
it's Sinéad O'Connor. She's spent virtually her entire career standing up
for her beliefs -- in both her music and her actions -- and hasn't backed
down once. Of course, that wouldn't mean nearly as much if the
singer/songwriter didn't back up her thoughts with compelling music, and
that's something FAITH AND COURAGE has in abundance. With the help of such
visionary musicians as Jah Wobble and Wyclef Jean, she's created a
remarkably intricate yet listener-friendly blend of hip-hop rhythms and
mystical Celtic melodies that comes together smartly on songs such as "No
Man's Woman" (which has taken on a new dimension, as, shortly after the
album's release, O'Connor came out as a lesbian). Fans of the earthy
minimalism that marked her earliest work will find similar elements here --
most notably in the breathy shuffle of "The Healing Room" -- but the album
also has a sense of freedom rarely present on her past albums. Much like
kindred spirit Prince, O'Connor manifests that sense in both the sexual
dimension (the preening "Daddy, I'm Fine") and the spiritual ("Kyrie
Eleison"). As a statement of purpose, FAITH AND COURAGE never wavers, and as
a musical document, it's sure to silence any doubters. 

David Sprague