posted by david on Thu 6 Jul 2000 @ 03:51 AM

One of the golden rules of album cover design is that any photos of the musicians must feature sullen looks. Smiling in any way is a definite no-no. In the liner notes of her new album, 'Faith And Courage', Sinead O'Connor shows her usual concern for rock conventions by smiling. Broadly. Maybe I should be surprised, but this is Sinead we're talking about, she's always been full of surprises and as it turns out, that photo is only the first surprise here.

Reviews: Billboard - Rolling Stone - BBC Online

Sinead's 'I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got' is nothing less than a classic, a sweeping, emphatic and ultimately daunting personal statement from a unique personality. In charting the extremes of her emotions, the music itself veered from the conventional to the confrontational. It wasn't background music.

Neither is 'Faith And Courage' but for different reasons. While she has steered herself firmly onto the mainstream path, she hasn't left her passion and determination behind. This is a pop album, loaded with hooks and melodies, and as the title suggests, it's the sound of someone finding strength in themselves.

The album opens with 'The Healing Room', a carefully measured prayer, laced with sophisticated beeps and burbles. The vocal is unmistakeably Sinead but there is no vitriol here as she sings "you're not free/if you don't know me". It's a statement of her own contentment, even punctuated by the voice of a child saying "I love you lots and lots and lots".

But being content shouldn't be mistaken for being complacent, and on 'No Man's Woman' she is happily defiant as she sings "I don't wanna be no man's woman/I've other work I want to get done". Musically, the song wears hip-hop influences but features a big heaving chorus, loaded with guitars, vocals and strings. This deserves to be big hit #1.

Track 3 is 'Jealous', a carefully and beautifully understated pop song reminiscent of Natalie Imbruglia's 'Torn'. It's a classy number and Sinead's melodic vocal weaving is catchy as hell (hit #2 perhaps?). And like 'Torn', lyrically it steps above the usual pop dross with 'You know I would have done anything/To make it through with you/But I don't deserve to be lonely/Just cuz you say I do'. If this is a song of bitterness, it's also a song of resignation.

'Dancing Lessons' is another pretty little pop song, the hip-hop influence courtesy of producer/co-writer Wyclef Jean. There's little doubt that we're hearing a happy Sinead as she sings sweet sentiments such as 'You take my rainy days and make them go away'. We could perhaps consider this potential hit #3.

If so, that would make 'Daddy I'm Fine' hit #4. Co-written and produced by Dave Stewart, this is another upbeat pop song that I can imagine working a treat on a dance floor. This time Sinead is bouncing around as she sings 'I feel real cool and I feel real good'.

'Til I Whisper U Something' is similar to 'Jealous' in that it's carefully understated, instantly appealing but not obviously so. More positive sentiments abound here as she declares 'It's a long walk towards a good time/Like a big hill u have to climb/And u got to be willing'. A reasonable candidate for hit #5.

'Hold Back The Night' reverts to the hushed vocals that opened the album but this time, an edge of dread has crept in. The first pass through the chorus sounds uncomfortably gloomy, as she sings out 'Do you want to be/My dying day' but from there, the drum machines and the nagging vocal hooks kick in, the sense of resignation giving way to a call of hope. The mix of subdued balladry and upbeat pop might make it difficult to pigeonhole but that's no reason why it couldn't be hit #6.

'What Doesn't Belong To Me' is a wonderful example of blunt but highly effective songwriting: 'I miss you but I'm glad you're gone/I want you but I'm not alone'. Where once Sinead would have let rip with guns blazing, this time she's finding a way to lick her wounds and simply move on.

'The State I'm In' is one of two songs with the songwriting involvement of Scott Cutler and Anne Preven, co-writers of 'Torn' and it's easy to see this as one that Ms Imbruglia would have quite happily taken as her own. At this point in the album, it still seems weird to hear Sinead singing something so effortlessly catchy. Hit #7.

The trio of songs that precede the finale are all Sinead originals and if the album can be said to falter anywhere, this is where it happens. 'The Lamb's Book Of Life' incorporates an obvious Irish musical influence and is laced with various sound effects such as machine gun fire. It's perfectly listenable but this is Sinead in explicit preaching mode: "if we listen to the Rasta man/He can show us how it can be done". If you've no time for Sinead's philosophies, this one probably won't grab your interest.

'If U Ever' is a return to the more personal songwriting and is perhaps more effective because of it. Sinead offers another of her trademark clear vocals, this time with gentle gospel vocals behind her. It swings gently so it's not big hit material but as a ballad, it works nicely.

'Emma's Song' is slightly more dramatic, but again, there's no big chorus or hooks and once it's over, it's easily forgotten.

And finally, the album hits a "modern" arrangement of the hymn "Kyrie Eleison". To my ears, it simply doesn't work. A piece this simple is perhaps best presented simply, but it's ruined by overproduction. I've heard very few songs that can incorporate spoken soundbites and get away with it, and this is no different. Where the rest of the album had been carefully judged, this one edges overboard. A restrained, reflective full stop was all that was required.

This album has some great songs and if her record company doesn't promote the hell out of it, they're utterly mad. For an artist as prickly as Sinead, it may be a while before she gives them anything as marketable as this. They should make the most of it.

But in saying that, I don't mean that this album is a sellout. It's intelligent and it's accessible, that's all. Ultimately it's not perfect, Sinead has too much personality for that, but it's the honesty in her approach that holds my fascination, more so than her extraordinary voice. While I can spot the flaws in this one I also suspect I will be one of many who will feature it in their "best of the year" lists when December hits.