The Times-Picayune 
July 7

O'CONNOR ON THE ROAD TO SELF DISCOVERY 

By Dave Ferman

   Whatever else she has been or will be, Sinead
O'Connor won't be ignored. 

She's an Irishwoman who has bounced between Dublin and
London and explores the volatile relationship between
the two countries; a performer equally at home with
traditional Irish instruments, hip-hop and reggae; a
woman who has torn up a picture of the Pope on TV and
is now a priest in an outlaw Roman Catholic sect; an
artist who has made fantastic records but hasn't
released a full-length CD in six years. 

O'Connor, 33, is clearly on a personal journey of
discovery -- she's again living in Dublin, and only a
few weeks ago she outed herself as a lesbian. And as
such, her new CD, "Faith and Courage," is a deeply
emotional summation of where she's been (a suicide
attempt, motherhood, unhappy relationships, a newfound
calmness and spirituality) and her desire to see
people set aside their differences in finding strength
through prayer. 

The result is frequently riveting -- and frequently
patience-testing. Like many people who have undergone
a recent infusion of faith, O'Connor can be
ridiculously preachy -- at its worst, "Faith" comes
off as both self-satisfied and whiny. 

And then there's "No Man's Woman," which is simply the
nadir of her career, flat-out man-bashing at the most
basic, obvious level. Nice tune, though. 

There are also times the CD feels lazy: On "Daddy I'm
Fine," she can't even be bothered to find a rhyme for
"money," shortening the word to "mon' " to serve her
purposes. Six years, and we can't find a better way to
tell this particular tale? 

I realize I'm in the minority here: Numerous critics
have praised "Faith and Courage" to the skies: Time
magazine has already judged it "one of the best CDs of
the year." 

And to be sure, there is much to admire, from
O'Connor's overriding conviction and always-amazing
voice to her fusion of Irish and high- stepping reggae
on "The Lamb's Book of Life" to her compassion and
intelligence on such songs as "The Healing Room," the
sunny R&B of "Dancing Lessons" (which was produced by
Wyclef Jean and deserves to be a massive hit single)
to the majestic pop of "The State I'm In." 

There is, moreover, a profound sense of relief that
this older, at least slightly mellower O'Connor has
gone through all she has -- and no question, she's had
her hardships -- and come through, by the sound of
things here, able to make music that often has such
power, emotional depth and clarity. 

But all that said, "Faith and Courage" is not her best
effort -- and not one without some significant
problems. Those of us who have long admired her will
continue to listen as she sends out the occasional
message from her heart, and "Faith" is best heard in
this context: as part of a greater process, a step
along the path.