MTV Review
16 Jun 2000

How could we ever forget Sinéad O'Connor -- from her
public excoriations of the IRA to her break from
onetime mentors the Edge and Prince, from her refusal
to have the U.S. National Anthem played before a New
Jersey concert to the ripping of a photo of the Pope,
from her claims of child abuse at the hands of her
mother to the very public romantic splits and her
single motherhood. The Dublin native has invited
controversy to sit, often uncomfortably, beside her
musical successes, both commercial (the Prince-penned
chart-topper "Nothing Compares 2 U") and artistic
(Universal Mother). Despite the firestorms, music has
remained paramount. Now signed to a new label,
O'Connor advances once more into the breach. 

At first, it's hard not to listen for allusions to
O'Connor's missteps. "The Lamb's Book of Life" asks
forgiveness outright: "I know that I have done many
things/To give you reason not to listen to me... I
just hope that you can show compassion/And love me
enough to just please listen." On "No Man's Woman,"
O'Connor professes a lack of trust in men, and she
recounts dreams of fame and fun on "Daddy I'm Fine."
But listening deeper yields emotional as well as
musical treasures: "No Man's Woman" declares faith in
oneself and God with a William Orbit-esque touch;
O'Connor sends Dad love with every theramin-flavored,
quirky-rock note of "I'm Fine." On "The Lamb's Book,"
she makes her case as much with a flitty Celtic flute
and a fine dub beat as with her refusal to beg for
what she knows she must earn. 

Faith and Courage shows a songwriter still in command
of her talents. Her lyrics, as always, are frank and
unflinching, and her voiceóat once fragile and
hellfire strongópropel a collection on which O'Connor
leans heavily on her influences (Celtic rock, hip-hop,
new wave, techno) without losing sight of her own
musical identity as a Celtic rebel. Her producers
cleverly add ingredients: Wyclef Jean pours gospel and
reggae to the sweet "Dancing Lessons" while Adrian
Sherwood and Skip McDonald stir a British take on soul
into "The Healing Room"and Brian Eno adds layered
texture to the quasi-lullaby "Emma's Song." Only
Eurythmic Dave Stewart threatens to topple the load,
as he indulges his pop jones on the lyrically stinging
"Jealous" and the dark come-on "'Til I Whisper U
Something." But O'Connor quickly retakes the reins,
letting her voice soar above the din, and on "Daddy
I'm Fine," she and Stewart find their groove right
from the start. 

O'Connor tackles faith, love and career, imbuing Faith
and Courage with grace, grit and, yes, courage. It all
comes together on the album's closer, a modern reading
of "Kyrié Eléison." Tradition and modern-day
sensibilities are married, tied together by O'Connor's
willingness to take chances. Don't forget the past,
O'Connor seems to be saying, but keep moving and
looking forward. Show you're right. 

Marie Elsie St. Léger