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Sinéad O'Connor: Faith and Courage

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Atlantic Records
Released: 2000.06.13
Time:
 55:51
Category: Pop/Rock
Producer(s): See Artists ...
Rating: ******.... (6/10)
Media type: CD
Web address: www.sinead-oconnor.com
Appears with:
Purchase date: 2001.10.13
Price in €: 7,99



 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] The Healing Room (O'Connor) - 5:35
[2] No Man's Woman (O'Connor) - 3:01
[3] Jealous (OConnor) - 4:17
[4] Dancing Lessons (O'Connor) - 4:17
[5] Daddy I'm Fine (O'Connor) - 2:59
[6] 'Til I Whisper U Something (O'Connor) - 6:07
[7] Hold Back the Night (Hodgens) - 4:12
[8] What Doesn't Belong to Me (O'Connor) - 5:38
[9] The State I'm In (Cutler) - 4:11
[10] The Lamb's Book of Life (O'Connor) - 4:58
[11] If U Ever (O'Connor) - 4:24
[12] Emma's Song (O'Connor) - 3:24
[13] Kyrie Eleison (Traditional) - 2:45

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


SINÉAD O'CONNOR - Arranger, Vocals, Background Vocals

JUNIOR DELGADO - Spoken Word
RUSTY ANDERSON - Guitar
KERREN BERZ - Conductor, Orchestral Arrangements
PAUL BUSHNELL - Bass
SCOTT CUTLER - Guitar, Producer
JOEL DEROUIN - Cello
BRIAN ENO - Piano, Producer, Mixing
JAH WOBBLE - Bass
SKIP MCDONALD - Bass, Guitar, Background Vocals, Producer
CHUCHO MERCHÁN - Bass
CARLTON OGILVIE - Bass, Piano
JOHN REYNOLDS - Drums, Programming, Producer, Engineer, Mixing
DEREK SCOTT - Guitar
CHRIS SHARROCK - Drums
DAVE STEWART - Guitar
LIL JOHN - Drums
LIQUID GROOVES - Drum Samples
KIERAN KIELY - Low Whistle
JUSTIN ADAMS - Guitar
BLANDINNA MELKY JEAN - Vocals
LITTLE ROY - Background Vocals
BIM SHERMAN - Background Vocals
ANNE PREVEN - Background Vocals, Producer

JERRY "Te Bass" DUPLESSIS - Producer
WYCLEF JEAN - Producer, Mixing
ALAN BRANCH - Programming, Engineer
GRAHAM DOMINY - Engineer, Assistant Engineer
NICK ADDISON - Engineer
STEVE CHURCHYARD - Engineer
SCOTT GORDON - Engineer
ACAR S. KEY - Engineer
ANDY GRASSI - Engineer
GLEN MARCHESE - Engineer
CIARAN CAHILL - Engineer
ALVIN SWEENEY - Engineer
STEVE SISCO - Assistant Engineer
STEVE JONES - Assistant Engineer
BRIAN GARTEN - Assistant Engineer
MICHAEL MCCOY - Assistant Engineer
ROB HERRERA - Assistant Engineer
EMILY LAZAR - Mastering
TOM HUTTEN - Assistant Mastering Engineer
ANDY WALLACE - Mixing
ASH HOWES - Mixing
MARK PRICE - Programming
SIMON MUNDEY - Programming
JEFF TURZO - Editing, Drum Programming
A. WRIGHT - Programming
KATE GARNER - Photography
JIM FITZPATRICK - Illustrations

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


2000 CD Atlantic 83337
2000 CS Atlantic 83337
2000 CD Wea International 7162



Sinead OConnor will not be taken in the midst of headlining controversy. She was ordained a Catholic priest in 1998, soon after her traumatic scenes of attempted suicide and custody battles over her daughter, Roisin. Former colleague and friend, ex-Pogues frontman Shane McGowan lashed back at OConnor after she publicly criticized his wild drinking behavior. She should be down and out, ill-fated from making her signature political accusations and illustriously raw life songs, but OConnor will not be tested. Her fifth studio release of original material since 1994's Universal Mother, Faith and Courage is obviously OConnor's umpteenth disposition of reclaiming self-definition. She sounds lonely and afraid in songs like "Jealous" and "Dancing Lessons," yet her fierce confidence overpowers such insecurity on the pinch-hitting "No Man's Woman." Don't be too fooled, for OConnor only lasts so long, regardless of her insisting nature to be on top of her game. She is a sensitive person and her most honest work shines on the sorrowful "Hold Back the Night" and on Celtic-rock "The Lamb's Book of Life," a brandish slap against her native Ireland. Emotionally spiritual and artistic, Faith and Courage tries so hard to take control as Sinead OConnor refrains from being taken, but her bitterness prevails.

MacKenzie Wilson - All-Music Guide
© 1992 - 2001 AEC One Stop Group, Inc.



Faith And Courage, Sinead O'Connor's first album in six years, is a marked change in direction from the pared-down urban folk beats of 1994's Universal Mother. For her Atlantic debut, she has embraced rock guitar, co-writing 13 tracks with a range of star producers including Dave Stewart, Brian Eno, Wyclef Jean and Adrian Sherwood. Featured here is "No Man's Woman", a strong declaration of intent ("I haven't travelled this far to become a man's woman") laced with raw guitar riffs and a subtle calypso flavour. Also distinctive is "Daddy I'm Fine", a loping, off-kilter look at being a rock star where O'Connor deadpans: "I wanna look good in my black leather boots.../I feel real hot and my make-up's nice/I'm gonna fuck every man in sight." In places, O'Connor's voice is swallowed up in a mix that's too FM-radio-friendly, but overall this is a resonant set of songs.

Lucy O'Brien - Amazon.co.uk



Amazon.com's Best of 2000

As a controversial artist who's confounded and even repelled fans, Sinead O'Connor returns with a pop triumph. Demonstrating an ability to move fluidly from raucous rock to ethereal reggae, O'Connor's pop sensibilities sparkle without sacrificing her hard-won wisdom and spiritual enlightenment. Faith and Courage shows us both.

Kevin Cole - Amazon.com



Throughout much of her career, Sinéad O'Connor's personal torments and passions have been played out in public, frequently overshadowing the poetry of her music. The tabloid-fueling antics that led up to Faith and Courage created the perception of a woman on the fringe, but this album redirects attention back on her considerable talents. Faith and Courage unveils the rebellious Irishwoman as a sexy, vulnerable, emotional artist who's stared down her demons and is ready to revel in her triumphs. The album's you go, girl sentiment is pumped up by strong R&B and hip-hop elements. Its crisp acoustic guitar arpeggios and air-tight beats (think TLC's Fanmail) snap like the crack of a belt on "Daddy I'm Fine," "'Til I Whisper U Something," and "Dancing Lessons." Brian Eno, Eurythmic Dave Stewart, bassist Jah Wobble, and Wyclef Jean help O'Connor leverage the album's radio-ready rhythms into everything from power pop to Celtic mysticism. Lyrically, O'Connor acknowledges her periodic lack of judgment, but makes no apologies, opting instead to carry the torch for feminine sexuality, financial independence, soul searching, and her right to shave her head, wear leather boots, rock out, and still be a good mother. In other words, Sinead brings home the bacon and fries it up in a pan, millennium style.

Beth Massa - Amazon.com



O'Connor has never been one for consistency, and this sixth album frustrates with its schizophrenic mix of the adventurous and the drearily conservative. Lyrically it's as intense and intelligent as ever, particularly on the defiant "Daddy I'm Fine" and the more conciliatory "The Lamb's Book Of Life". What shines through is a sense of serenity so often missing in her earlier work. Dave Stewart adds sheen to the production and there's a fruitful union with Wyclef Jean on "Dancing Lessons", which, with the frail and confessional "Emma's Song" and the sparkling Rasta-influenced update of "Kyrie Eleison", form the emotional core of the album. Some of the songs show O'Connor at her best, yet much of the material here is worryingly insipid: "Till I Whisper You Something" and "If U Ever" veer dangerously close to Corrs territory, while lines like "The memories you bring/Make my eyes both sting" and "You take my rainy days and make them go away" are unforgivably lazy. The middle of the road is not where Sinead belongs.

The Rough Guide Rock



Mut ist der resoluten Irin nicht abzusprechen: Seit Sinéad O'Connor 1987 mit The Lion And The Cobra die Szene betrat, fiel sie als eigenwilliger Charakter auf -- oder aus der Rolle; ob sie "Nothing Compares 2 U" so intensiv darbrachte, dass das Video Diskussionen provozierte über echte oder vorgetäuschte Tränen, oder ob sie einen Sturm der Entrüstung entfachte, als sie öffentlich ein Papstbildnis zerriss. Und Glauben? Immerhin wurde sie vergangenes Jahr auf der Grünen Insel zur Priesterin geweiht. Und dass sie, zumindest in ihren nicht von Selbstzweifeln getrübten Momenten an sich selbst glaubt, darf angesichts ihrer Bio- wie Diskographie unterstellt werden. Eine satte Prise eben dieses Selbstbewusstseins strahlt "Faith And Courage" aus, plus eine fast schon erstaunliche Portion an tänzelnder Leichtigkeit, wie sie etwa ausgerechnet im bittersüßen Liebeswehen-Song "What Doesn't Belong To Me" durch spielerische Dub-Effekte und Hall-verhuschte Stimme zum Tragen kommt. Ebenso souverän spielt sie mit den Stilen: Die unwahrscheinliche Kombi aus irischen Folk-Anleihen und Reggae funktioniert prächtig in "The Lamb's Book Of Life", ebenso der schlichte, Gospel-na-he Chorus zu "If U Ever". Das punky aggressive, mutmaßlich autobiographische "Daddy I'm Fine" kontrastiert zur so anrührend positiven wie intensiven Hymne "The Healing Room" oder der poppigen Selbsterkenntnis "The State I'm In", ganz ohne grüblerische Schatten. Mit dem poprockigen Statement "No Man's Woman", das Parallelen zu Kollegin Alanis Morissette aufzeigt, "Hold Back The Night" (eine Art Nachtrag zu "Nothing Compares 2 U") und dem von schmeichelnder Flöte und irritierenden zeitgenössischen Electronica-Sounds im Untergrund durchsetzten "'Til I Wisper U Something" sind etliche Hit-Kandidaten dabei, auch dank der illustren Produzentenschar, von Brian Eno über Dave Stewart bis Adrian Sherwood. Was immer Sie von Sinéad O'Connor erwartet haben mögen, dies sicher nicht -- und es ist eine gelungene Überraschung. Versprochen!

Claus Böhm - Amazon.de



Dass die gute "Nothing Compares 2 U"-Sinéad inzwischen ein wenig spinnt, mag ja durchaus sein. Ließ sich zur Priesterin weihen und veröffentlicht als erste Single in ihrem neuen Leben "No Man's Woman". Klar, denn Mutter Bernadette Mary, wie sie jetzt heißt, legte selbstverständlich ein Zölibatsgelübde ab. Über all diese Verirrungen darf man aber nicht vergessen, was Sinéad eigentlich ist: eine fantastische Musikerin, die sich niemals dem Mainstream und den Verlockungen des Mediokren ergeben hat. Eine Querdenkerin voller Ecken, Kanten und bunter Facetten, aber doch eine weiche und verletzliche Frau mit einer Stimme, die all diese Seiten ihrer Persönlichkeit wiederspiegelt. All das findet sich in ihrer Musik wieder, die im Falle von Faith And Courage einzigartig geworden ist. Mit Schützenhilfe von Producer-Koryphäen wie Brian Eno und Dave Stewart kann man zwei hauptsächliche Charakterzüge in den Songs entdecken. Auf der einen Seite die in weiten Universen schwebenden, soften, wabernden und sirrenden Melodien zum Träumen, deren bestes Beispiel "Nothing Compares 2 U" sie bereits vor Jahren berühmt gemacht hat. Beispiele: "The Healing Room", "Jealous", "Hold Back The Night" oder "Emma's Song". Dem entgegen stehen die handfesteren Popsongs mit Folk- und Rockeinflüssen à la "No Man's Woman", "Dancing Lessons" oder das großartige "Daddy I'm Fine", die US-Liedermacherinnen à la Alanis Morissette oder Amanda Marshall alle Ehre gemacht hätten. Ein feines Album zum oft Hören und immer wieder neu entdecken.

Kati Hofacker - Amazon.de



Selbst "Die Woche" beschäftigte die Frage: Wird Sinéad die erste Frau, die fürs Priesteramt zugelassen wird? Vorab konstatieren wir: Mit "Faith And Courage" erschien kürzlich das erste full length-Album seit "Universal Mother" 1994. Doch der angekündigte Versuch, Irisches und Jamaikanisches diesmal zu fusionieren, funktionierte auf älteren CDs weit dynamischer. Nach den Irrungen und Wirrungen der letzten Jahre ist "Faith And Courage" ein geradezu harmoniesüchtiges Werk. Der Selbstreinigungsprozess geht weiter. Nur noch leiser Protest ist zu vernehmen. Selbst mit ihrem Daddy schließt Sinéad ihren Frieden. Zu schön um wahr und wirklich musikalisch spannend zu sein. Fein für sie, gut für die Charts. Amen.

HIFI Test (05/00)
© HIFI-Test - Detlef Kinsler



Though Sinead O'Connor's thick-skinned survivalist songs and fuck-you stage persona always threatened to override the vulnerability in her voice, not to mention the softness of her porcelain doll features, they never came close. But by confounding audiences with her very public political and religious rabble-rousing, the Irish songstress' brazen outspokenness eclipsed the accolades she earned for her songwriting efforts. O'Connor's ride back into the warmth of the spotlight has taken most of the past decade. On Faith and Courage, she returns with the blend of Celtic mysticism, commercial pop, and mature themes that moved so many listeners (and units) on 1990's I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, while pulling out a few trip-hop stops to keep things current. O'Connor's traditional, hard/soft dichotomy is still there, too. The first single, "No Man's Woman," is a dance-y kiss-off to all those in possession of a Y-chromosome; a beat-filled "I Am Woman" for the 21st century. And the raucous "Daddy I'm Fine" sounds as if it takes its cues from the first Hole record with its banshee-like declarations of self-validation through rock and roll, sex, and a really good makeup application. O'Connor proves she can still emote up a storm (while sounding a bit like Annie Lennox) on "Jealous." On the vastly more jubilant "Dancing Lesson" and the hypnotic "Hold Back the Night," her voice sounds as luminous and pure as ever. While it may be true that everyone loves a tough girl, it's O'Connor's unfailing tender touch that will no doubt endear Faith and Courage to your CD player.

Michelle Kleinsak - June 29, 2000
CDNOW Editorial Assistant
Copyright © 1994-2001 CDnow Online, Inc. All rights reserved.



People have unfairly criticized Sinead O'Connor over the years simply because she was too loud in her request to remain an empowered, intelligent woman. (Her 1999 announcement that she was becoming a priestess for a Catholic splinter religion didn't help her any) The story continues in 2000 with the release of Faith And Courage, which reveals an O'Connor who, without mellowing her life or lyrics, wears a more placid, mature face. Gone are the blood-rippling howls and violently strummed acoustic guitars of her earliest records. Instead, her voice whispers and floats, her political, religious and woman-been-done-wrong ideas painted on a canvas of soft, Celt-influenced melodies brushed with piano and electronic beats. As unbelievable as it may seem, the angriest banshee seems almost comfortable with life.

© 1978-2001 College Media, Inc., Inc. All Rights Reserved.



"I have a universe inside me/ Where I can go and spirit guides me/ There I can ask oh any question/ I get the answers if I listen," sings Sinead O'Connor in the opening track, "The Healing Room." And clearly, O'Connor has been listening carefully. Where there was once anger, there's now kindness. In place of rage, there's thoughtfulness. No less challenging in her life views, O'Connor has somehow softened, become less didactic and more communal. She's grown into the type of woman whom, rather than cross the street when you see her coming, you want to invite out for a pint with the hope of a glimpse into her tumultuous wisdom. O'Connor has never been afraid to face her pain and her anger head-on. While many may cower or glower at such magnitude, she has the openness of heart to stay with her emotions and to channel her passage into her music. Yet not since I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got has she been able to blend sorrow, bliss, and a catchy tune so effectively.

The honest assessment of her life from frustrated Dublin girl to self-actualized rock star mom in "Daddy I'm Fine," with its dreamy reggae verses and punked-out choruses, signals that O'Connor, in her tenderness, is as kick-ass as ever. "What Doesn't Belong to Me," with potent lines such as "Take back the hatred you gave me for me/ Take back the anger that nearly killed me," could easily have been a temper tantrum on a previous album. Here O'Connor elevates it to a hymn of peace and transformation. And the first single, "No Man's Woman," is a rite of passage into the kind of femininity which most people don't recognize: not angry, not aiming for the glass ceiling, not subservient, rather content in her own skin, and willing to rely on her own inner spirit.

Listening to O'Connor's voice is like taking a fast trip to heaven. Every bit as flexible as it was during her more bombastic days, it has strengthened and quieted with her, reflecting the feminine paradox she embodies so well on this album: the power of vulnerability.

Ten of the 13 songs were written or co-written by O'Connor, and the album reflects a melting pot of influences from rock to electronica to folk to hip-hop to reggae - all with her homeland Irish folk whistle winding throughout. Collaborators include Dave Stewart (Eurythmics), Wyclef Jean (Fugees), Brian Eno, Jah Wobble (Public Image Ltd.), Adrian Sherwood, Skip McDonald, Scott Cutler and Anne Preven (who penned Natalie Imbruglia's "Torn"), and She'kspere. Somehow this wild juxtaposition of cultures creates an incredibly focused, cohesive, and magical experience by taking her pain and transforming it into fiercely graceful beauty.

The 19th-century Hindu Swami Vivekananda wrote of the dark goddess Kali, "Who dares misery love/ And hug the form of death/ Dance in destruction's dance/ To her the mother comes." Fortunately, for those of us less inclined to meet life so fully, O'Connor has no such fear. May her dance be joyful and long.

© 1999 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved.
VH1.com - VH1 Online



How could we ever forget Sinéad O¹Connor - from her public excoriations of the IRA to the ripping of a photo of the Pope, the Dublin native has invited controversy to sit, often uncomfortably, beside her musical successes. Despite the firestorms, music has remained paramount. Now signed to a new label, O¹Connor advances once more into the breach. Faith and Courage shows a songwriter still in command of her talents. Her lyrics, as always, are frank and unflinching, and her voice‹at once fragile and hellfire strong - propel a collection on which O¹Connor 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 "Emma¹s 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 "¹Til I Whisper U Something." But O¹Connor quickly retakes the reins, letting her voice soar above the din, and on "Daddy I¹m Fine," she and Stewart find their groove right from the start.

O¹Connor tackles faith, love and career, imbuing Faith and Courage with grace, grit and, yes, courage. Don¹t forget the past, O¹Connor seems to be saying, but keep moving and looking forward. Show you¹re right.

© 1999 MTV Networks. All Rights Reserved.
MTV Online



"I know that I have done many things/To give you reason not to listen to me," sings Sinead O'Connor in "The Lamb's Book of Life," one of several new songs that ask forgiveness from her lovers, father and fans. Repentant and yet still gloriously provocative, Faith and Courage speaks with the jaw-clenched directness for which O'Connor is both famous and infamous. What it does most convincingly is give listeners reason to once again embrace the Irish firebrand.
It's designed like a mainstream R&B blockbuster, the kind that has a different producer-songwriter-player for nearly every track. Unexpected pairings draw out opposite aspects of the singer's complex musical personality. The result is an album of approachable pop that's both defiant and diverse and that flaunts rock's swagger, electronica's experimentalism, folk's introspection and hip-hop's social critique. O'Connor doesn't abandon the national identity she quietly asserted on her previous two releases; Faith and Courage layers playful Irish folk whistles and O'Connor's peerless cry into contemporary street sonics while navigating between inner spirituality and the conflicted outside world. The two domains meet on the show-stopping, string-laden anthem "No Man's Woman," where she declares she won't concede to male domination because she's already in love -- with a "spirit." Sounds hokey on paper, but because O'Connor -- the original Alanis -- rocks so hard, the sentiment is nothing short of spine-tingling.

Another compact doozy, "Daddy I'm Fine," flips from looping reggae to double-time punk thrash while neatly encapsulating the singer's transformation from frustrated Dublin girl to world-class, ass-kickin' mom. Even serene ballads like "Emma's Song" suggest tension, ambivalence, mystery. It's a tribute to O'Connor's guiding presence that dub-funk masters Adrian Sherwood and Skip McDonald, Eurythmics' Dave Stewart, ex-Ednaswap rockers Scott Cutler and Anne Preven, Fugee Wyclef Jean, ex-Public Image Ltd. bassist Jah Wobble, Destiny's Child producer Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs and ambient guru Brian Eno can all contribute without overpowering the album's star. With its dauntless style juxtapositions and the singer's strongest songs in a decade, Faith and Courage restores this wayward soul to major rock-goddess status even as she strips down to her human essence. This is the Sinéad album you've been wanting for years.

BARRY WALTERS - RS 843
© Copyright 2001 RollingStone.com



"Faith and Courage" is the title of the new album by Sinead O'Connor and is the first album by Sinead for Atlantic records, USA. I love Sinead; she is an absolute joy to work with; she is smart, intelligent, well-read, witty and deeply sensitive; dropdead gorgeous and very artistic. A truly extraordinary talent. Most of all she trusts me as an artist, treats me with respect and gives me free rein to express myself.

I have always wanted to draw her and this time I got the chance to do it when Sinead asked me to do the cover of her new album. The title and the music inspired the front cover, which I interpreted from the music as revelatory. The back cover portrait, where I sought to capture an iconic kind of sublime serenity, took weeks of drawing and redrawing to get the effect I was after.

The problem with the medium I choose -chalk and pastel -is that it is such a delicate technique: if you get it right, it looks amazing; if you don't it looks crap. As you can see from the various stages of the work shown here, things went a bit pear-shaped before I finally got it right. ( That does not include two other versions that were consigned to the trash ! ). The finished artwork for the front is a work I am extremely proud of; it works well as a cover for an exquisite album -but personally I think the portrait of Sinead on the back is one of my best works. Time will tell.

Jim Fitzpatrick (Album Illustrator) - June 2000



She's publicly torn up a picture of the Pope, incurred the wrath of Frank Sinatra, kidnapped her own child and battled for custody, been ordained as a priest and most recently declared herself to be a lesbian. But her records have always consistently been in their own ways far more personal and revealing than all the tabloid rumours and accusations. This is another album that deals deeply with questions of love, faith and family and takes traditional folk music and gives it a backbone of hipper and stronger beats. On Faith And Courage she works with Dave Stewart, Wyclef Jean and Brian Eno amongst others and it is therefore a varied and interesting record, but still essentially a Sinéad O'Connor record. Fine songs like No Man's Woman, Jealousy and Daddy I Am Fine confirm that she's still an underrated writer and her perfect voice is still as clear and pure as ever. The songs make this record something of an awkward pleasure, such is their often painfully personal, yet still melodic and sweeping style. But that's great art and great artists for you.

By Esther Sadler
Virgin.Net



With Faith and Courage, Sinéad O'Connor comes close to the sublime fury that made her first album such a landmark. Aside from a few derailments, she stays on the track of her passion throughout this project. The big-band indulgences are behind her, and she has found a way to add the right touches of softness to the defiance that defined her earliest work.

She does this best in the context of her own songs. O'Connor writes directly, with a blunt eloquence. Her chords and melodies are basic. The magic lies in the textures that support this structure, most of which reflect the input of producer and former Eurythmics wizard Dave Stewart, and of course in her words and ringing delivery. Like most ideologues, though, she lacks humor; nowhere on Faith and Courage is it possible to imagine her smiling.

The thrills come when O'Connor transcends these self-imposed limits and exposes the tender eye within the hurricanes of her music. "Daddy I'm Fine" paints a picture of a daughter's declaration that her father's dreams for her have become irrelevant. In fact, she bludgeons him with barbed blows, insisting that she wants to take the stage with a rock 'n' roll band and "stand up tall with my boobs up right," looking "like I want to fuck every man in sight." As the band whips into a double-time punk thrash, her voice tightens to a raging snarl -- and when the very last chord hits like a car collision, she softens all at once and offers the last line: "Daddy, I love you."

These emotional complexities are part of real life, and it's O'Connor's gift to bring them to her music. "No Man's Woman" leads from broadside propaganda to a confession of the singer's need for a man who "don't take away all the love he has." She affirms that she never wants to become a "man's woman," declares that she'll never trust men again - yet confides that despite all she is in a relationship that she "doesn't tell" everyone about. Exterior bravado masks the wounds that linger within and illuminates the conflicts that define our experience.

Like "No Man's Woman," many of the songs on Faith and Courage follow a steady crescendo, with instrumentation and drum tracks expanded as the tune unfolds. Her vocal showpiece, "My Dying Day," opens with thickening synth pads, which begin to stir as drums slam into action; buffeted by deep electronic textures, O'Connor's voice is strong yet somehow fragile here, like a beacon on a threatening night. And on the medium-tempo "Til I Whisper You Something," she coaxes the music into a long, sustained peak through vocal variations that recall Peter Gabriel's vamp at the end of "Sledgehammer."

The weaker tracks are those which pull O'Connor away from her no-nonsense approach. "The State I'm In," written by Scott Cutler, is far too abstract for her sensibility. Certainly she can sing the tune, but its truncated verses, odd chord sequences, unexpected cadences, and intrusively inverted chords don't give her much expressive room. Her own composition, "The Lamb's Book of Life," is nearly as unsuccessful - an eighth-note march feel on the bass drum doesn't fit the modified ska groove, the trumpet figure comes across as a little pretentious, and the machine-gun samples are downright silly. Bizarre samples also mar "If U Ever," in which an otherwise effective metaphor of driving to escape one's pain is undercut by a tire-skid sound that might work better in a Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote cartoon.

These unsatisfactory moments, however, indicate O'Connor's apparent interest in not being pigeonholed. That she succeeds on familiar territory is no shame. And that Faith and Courage works as well as it does pays tribute to her returning and resurgent artistry.

Robert L. Doerschuk - June 28, 2000
Copyright © 1995-2000 Harmony Central, Inc. All rights reserved.



I'm going to leave the Tibet situation in the capable hands of Perry Farrell and a couple of Beastie Boys, and dedicate this record review to those in Uzbekistan practicing the teachings of Sun Myung Moon. Yes, these 843 words mark my commitment to the Unification Church's struggle for Religious Freedom in the former Soviet Territories.

Excuse my ridiculous gesture; it was inspired by the liner notes of Sinéad O'Connor's Faith and Courage, which state:

"Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit as it was in the Beginning. Is now and ever shall be. World without end. Jah! Rastafari! Read I! This record is dedicated to all Rastafari people..."

From Michael Stipe's sporting of a different politically correct t-shirt each time he took the stage to accept another award for "Losing My Religion" to Sting watering the rainforest with song, pop icons who self-righteously espouse over-simplified global politics bug me. I wasn't sure who "the real enemy" was-- and I don't know if Sinéad did, either-- when she thrilled the MTV newsdesk by tearing up a photograph of Pope John Paul II, shouting "Fight the real enemy," after her Saturday Night Live a capella performance of "War." But a decade later, the Roman-Catholic-lesbian-priestess seems as confused as ever.

While Faith and Courage is not as obviously embarrassing as Perry Farrell muttering, "Like, torture is, like, crazy, man! Like, mothers are being, like, tortured!" over the airwaves of the K-Rock-sponsored "Radio Free Tibet" broadcast, the album begins with the line "I have a universe inside me," ends with "Christ have mercy," and somewhere in the middle, proclaims, "I feel real cool and I feel real good/ Got my hair shaved off and black thigh boots.../ And I feel real hot when my makeup's nice."

While many adolescents go through mixed-up times, most have the sense not to let Wyclef Jean remix their accounts of first love into a four-minute bowl of mush called "Dancing Lessons." And sure, many teens fight the power of standard English by using replacements like "U" for "you," but they most likely didn't get the idea after cashing in on a Prince song. Most teens smash old hard-drives and burn their diaries in modesty and 20/20 hindsight; this diary is sold for $15 a pop to budding Earthmothers who quietly lurk in American suburbs, not quite fulfilled by Sarah McLachlan's last effort but not quite ready for Juvenile. Sinéad O'Connor is 33.
The music is completely unremarkable, so let's discuss the lyrics. The opening track, "The Healing Room," is the lyrical witness to a spectacular biological feat: "I have a healing room inside me/ The loving healers there, they feed me." I remember when I first heard Whitney Houston sing about having the "greatest love of all" inside of her, thinking it sounded like a tumor. But that was the '80s-- it's a new millennium now, and Sinéad, in an attempt to be part of the solution, is womb to an entire hospital.

The second song is titled "No Man's Woman." It's not like anyone thought she was a "man's woman" before. This song is similar to fellow countrywoman Paula Cole's work, only without the hilarious horsey antics, "Yippy-eye, Yippy-yo!" Those could have added a lot.

"Daddy I'm Fine" is based on the premise that "fine" equals wanting to "Stand up tall with my boobs upright" while delivering a yearning whine that unconvincingly tries to be Neil Young, in a rhythm unfortunately similar to R.E.M.'s "It's the End of the World as We Know It." "The Lamb's Book of Life" states: "If we listen to the Rasta man/ He can show us how it can be done." Yes, Sinéad really says "listen to the Rasta man." I can't imagine you'd need to know anything else about this track. Meanwhile, "Emma's Song" serves as the ultimate new-age cliché, involving goddesses, lovemaking, birthgiving, apologizing, Brian Eno's piano and production work, and more mentions of the healing room.

Faith and Courage closes with the traditional "Kyrie Eleison," but it's "radicalized" with layers of spoken word by Ghetto Priest, Junior Delgado, and Bonjo I. The music which accompanies it is Sinéad's standard fare of '80s torch balladry updated with some canned slow-jam beats courtesy of R&B producer Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, and feathery symphonies of "ooh-ahhs" courtesy of market pressure and Lilith Fair influences.

The cover art features pastels, contemplation, a trinity of little fires and a glowing portrait of Sinéad. Remember how the aliens in the movie Cocoon glowed before they peeled off their skin at that geriatric bath house? That was cool. Sinéad's glow here warns of an inevitable Brian Dennehy-esque skin-peeling, and when it happens, she'll be putting her hand on the pulse of the Rasta man and transferring her life to him in a golden neon glow. All this faith, and courage for you, Rastafari people.

Kristin Sage Rockermann
Copyright © 2001, Pitchforkmedia.com
 

 L y r i c s


THE HEALING ROOM

I have a universe inside me
Where I can go, an spirit guides me
There I can ask oh any question
I get the answers if I listen
I have a healing room inside me
The loving healers there they feed me
They make me happy with their laughter
They kiss and tell me I'm their daughter
I'm their daughter
(Me love you lots of lots of lots)
You have a little voice inside you
It doesn't matter who you think you may be
You're not free if you don't know me
See I'm not the lie that lives outside you
And it doesn't matter what you think you believe
You're not free if you don't know me
If you don't know me
See I am the universe inside you
You come to me and I will guide you
And make you happy with my laughter
I joy in seeing you're my daughter
You're my daughter
So believe you're not free if you don't know me
if you don't know me
if you don't know me
if you don't know me
if you don't know me
if you don't know me
if you don't know


NO MAN'S WOMAN

I don't wanna be no man's woman
It don't make me happy this mantrolling
thing that you got for me so I become
no man's woman
I don't wanna be no man's woman
I've other work I want to get done
I haven't travelled this far to become
no man's woman
no man's woman
Cuz I'm tired of it
and I'm so scared of it
that I'll never trust again
cuz a man can fake you
take your soul and make you
miserable in so much pain
My friends think I'm alone but I've got secrets
I don't tell everything about the love I get
I got a lovin' man but he's a spirit
He never does me harm never treats me bad
He'd never takes away all the love he has
and I'm forgiven oh a million times
I'm never tired of it
and I'm not scared of it
cuz it doesn't cause me pain
Like a man can fake you
take your soul and make you
never be yourself again
I never wanna be no man's woman
I only wanna be my own woman
I haven't travelled this far to become
no man's woman
no man's woman
no man's woman


JEALOUS

You're jealous
You just can't stand to see me get along without you
Like I do, you told me to
Now you're jealous
You don't know how hard it was to be alone without you
And wanting you, like I do
I would've stayed if you'd wanted
would have been willing
But you said I treat you so badly
I can't be forgiven
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
You're jealous
You don't know how hard it is to be a woman in love with you
When you're so cruel, and so jealous
You don't think about anybody's feelings but your own.
Are you coming home?
I would've stayed if you'd wanted
Would have been willing
But you said I treat you so badly
I can't be forgiven
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
So if you're gonna go you've got a go and if you're staying stay
Cuz I can't take the pain you keep leaving when you go away
If you're gonna go you've got a go and if you're staying stay
Cuz I can't take the pain you keep leaving when you go away
I don't deserve to be so lonely
I don't deserve to cry
I don't deserve to be so lonely


DANCING LESSONS

I wanna go walking with you
If you'd agree
I wanna do some talking with you
Where no one can see
I wanna go dancing darling
If you'd agree
I think I'll feel a safe step darling
If you were with me
And when you wrap your arms around me
When you take me close and say
That you're so happy and so glad you've found me
You take my rainy days and make 'em go away
Long time I've been thinking of you
Do you think of me too?
Long time I've been dreaming of you
make this dream come true
Long time I've been wondering 'bout this
Can this really exist?
I think I feel a peaceful feeling
In the warmth in your kiss
And when you wrap your arms around me
And when you take me close and say
That you're so happy and so glad you've found me
You take my rainy days and make them go away
And on this journey may the good Lord guide us
And may the goddess dance beside us
When you wrap your arms around me
When you take me close and say
That you're so happy and so glad you've found me
You take my rainy days and make 'em go away
When you wrap your arms around me
When you take me close and say
That you're so happy and so glad you've found me
You take my rainy days and make them go away


DADDY I'M FINE

I was born in Dublin town
Where there was not too much going down
For girls whose only hope
Was not to find a man who could piss in a pot
So early I heard my first guitar
And I knew I wanted to be a big star
And I told my poor worried father
Said I ain't gonna go to school no more
Cuz see I wanna look cool and I wanna look good
My hair slicked back and my black leather boots
Wanna stand up tall with my boobs upright
And feel real hot when my makeup's nice
I get sexy underneath the lights
Like I wanna fuck every man in sight
Baby come home with me tonight
Make you feel good make you feel all right
I'm going away to London
I got myself a big fat plan
I'm gonna be a singer in a rock 'n' roll band
I'm gonna change everything I can
Sorry to be disappointing
Wasn't born for no marrying
Wanna make my own living singing
Strong independent pagan woman singing
And I feel real cool and I feel real good
Got my hair shaved off and my black thigh boots
I stand up tall with my pride upright
And feel real hot when my makeup's nice
I get sexy underneath them lights
Like I wanna fuck every man in sight
Baby come home with me tonight
Make you feel good make you feel all right
I'm glad I came here to London
I've had myself some big fat fun
And I have even made some mon'
I've got the most angelic son
My baby daughter is golden
And I do what I like for fun
And I am happy in my prime
Daddy I'm fine, Daddy I'm fine, Daddy I'm fine,
Daddy I'm fine, And daddy I...love...you


'TIL I WHISPER U SOMETHING

Sure hate to see u looking so sad
Delicate man it needn't be that bad
U sit with me and I will listen
You'll feel much better when u open
U said all u wanted was a good time
Like a big hill u have to climb
And u got to be willing
U stand tall and u be strong
U have ruthless compassion
For yourself and for everyone
Yeah it's hard but it can be done
I know you've every right to feel grief
You've not had anything that u need
But u put your head on my shoulder
'Til I whisper u something
'Til I whisper u something
It don't take much to have a good time
A lot of lovemaking and a little wind
And u got to be willing
U stand tall and u stand strong
U try ruthless compassion
For yourself and for everyone
Yeah it's hard but it can be done
But U put your head on my shoulder
'Til I whisper u something
'Til I whisper u something
It's a long walk towards a good time
It's a big hill u have to climb
And u got to be willing
It don't take much to have a good time
A lot of lovemaking and a little wind
And u got to be willing
If you've never seen a good time
If you've never seen a good time
If you've never seen a good time
How would u recognise one
How would u recognise one, how would u
How would u even find one
How would u, if you've never seen a good time
If you've never seen a good time
If you've never seen a good time
How would you recognise one


HOLD BACK THE NIGHT

I want to walk
Into the light
Day has turned cold
Hold back the night
What will become
Of you and I
We had a dream
Don't let it die
Just hold back the night
Do you wanna be, wanna be
My dying day
My darkest hour
My overdose
Cuz that's what you'll be
Just hold back the night
There was a time
I know you'll agree
We saw it all
A glorious sight
Everyone's burned
Everything's gone
What we were then
Now we are not
So hold back the night
Do you wanna be, wanna be
My dying day
My darkest hour
My overdose
Cuz that's what you'll be
Just hold back the night
Cuz that's what you'll be
Just hold back the night


WHAT DOESN'T BELONG TO ME

The woman named Iris gave birth to the goddess
In her son who can't say her name
Because of all the pain
I miss you but I'm glad you're gone
I want you but I'm not alone
I'm haunted by you
But I'll get you gone if it takes me all my life long
You take back the pain you gave me
You take back what doesn't belong to me
Take back the shame you gave me
Take back what doesn't belong to me
I'm Irish, I'm English, I'm Moslem, I'm Jewish,
I'm a girl, I'm a boy
And the goddess meant for me only joy
And real love requires you, give up those loves
Whom you think you love best
Love puts you through the test
And only loyal love will bring me happiness
And take back the rage you gave me
Take back the hatred you gave me for me
Take back the anger that nearly killed me
Take back what doesn't belong to me
And real love requires you
Give up those loves
That you think you love best
Love put you through the test
And only loyal love will bring you happiness
And take back the pain you gave me
You take back what doesn't belong to me
Take back the blame you gave me
Take back what doesn't belong to me
Take back what doesn't belong to me
Take back what doesn't belong to me
Take back what doesn't belong to me


THE STATE I'M IN

I'm circling around the sun
Hoping for a chance to see
You above everyone
To rescue me from this heat
I'm waiting for night to fall
And it's been days
Are you sorry yet
You took our one and final breath
When the flag was halfway down
Just look at me now...
Oooooh- It's like a breeze blowing deep beneath my skin
Oooooh- Won't you help me out of the state I'm in
Oooooh- I can't stand myself since you've been gone
There's nothing there to lean upon
Walk into a photograph
That waiter took so well
Oooh if I could only laugh
Like that girl at some hotel
I call out to anyone
But not too loud
I'm not ready yet
To share the phone or TV set
It's a long long way to come
Out of this one ...
Oooooh - It's like a breeze blowing deep beneath my skin
Oooooh - Won't you help me out of the state I'm in
Oooooh - I can't stand myself since you've been gone
There's nothing there to lean upon
And now it seems so fatal
The last stone we left uncradled
And I ask you are you sorry yet
Are you sorry yet
Cuz I may never come
Out of this one ...
Oooooh - It's like a breeze blowing deep beneath my skin
Oooooh - Won't you help me out of the state I'm in
Oooooh - I can't stand myself since you've been gone
There's nothing there to lean upon
Oooooh - It's blowing deep, blowing deep
Oooooh - help me out, help me out of that state I'm in
Oooooh - It's blowing deep beneath my skin
This is the state I'm in
This is the state I'm in


THE LAMB'S BOOK OF LIFE

Out of Ireland I have come
Great hatred and little room
Maimed us at the start
And now home just breaks my heart
To America I have come
I hope to bring your preachermen
Home to show my people how they can
Get their names back in the book of life of the lamb
I know that I have done many things
To give you reason not to listen to me
Esspecially as I have been so angry
But if you'd knew me maybe you would understand me
Words can't express how sorry I am
If I ever caused pain to anybody
I just hope that you can show compassion
And love me enough to just please listen
Out of Ireland I did run
Great hatred and little room
Aimed to break my heart
Or wreck me up and tear me all apart
To America I have come
I need to find a good preacherman
Who can show me how I can
Get my name back in the book of life of the lamb
I bring these blessings with me
A strong heart full of hope and a feeling
That everything in this world would be okay
If people just believed enough in God to pray
But the world thinks that sounds crazy
And that's the thing that makes me sing so sadly
To think that we would leave God so lonely
To think that we would mess up our own destiny
Out of history we have come
With great hatred and little room
It aimes to break our hearts
Or wrecks us up and tear us all apart
But if we listen to the preacherman
He can show us how it can be done
To live in peace and live as one
Get our names back in the book of life of the lamb
Out of hopelessness we can come
If people just believe it can be done
'cause every prayer ever prayed is heard
take power in the power of the word
Out of history we have come
With great hatred and little room
It aimes to break our hearts
Or wrecks us up and tear us all apart
But if we listen to the Rasta man
He can show us how it can be done
To live in peace and live as one
Get our names back in the book of life of the lamb
Out of history we have come
With great hatred and little room
It aimes to break our hearts
Or smash us up and tear us all apart
But if we listen to the Rasta woman
She can show us how it can be done
To live in peace and live as one
Get our names back in the book of life of the lamb


IF U EVER

The memories u bring
Make my eyes both sting
I can't help the pain that's tearing
At my throat and my chest
Where everything is kept
When I start remembering
How the clothes that u wore
Made my heart so sore
I just couldn't think anymore
Of u once u were gone
And it's been so long
I've been carrying on
And if u ever came home in the night
Darling I'll treat u right
Oh, darling I'll treat u right
U got into your car and u drove as far
As u could and even further
And no matter how I sang
I just never can
Stop needing your hand
Though I got into my own car and I drove as far
As I could so that I might forget u
I never could, does that mean I'm no good
If it doesn't it should
But if you ever came home in the night
Darling I'd treat u right
Oh darling I'd treat u right
If you ever came home in the night
Darling I'd treat u right
And darling I'd treat u right


EMMA'S SONG

The first time I saw you
I loved you
I loved you
Your face blue
Your eyes too
Your mouth too
Your mouth too
When I heart you
I wanted to
Give birth to you
Give birth to you
I made love to you
I made love to you
The great goddess
Had us blessed
The last time I saw you
I fought with you
I fought with you
I didn't mean to
I didn't mean to
Oh say you'll see me
Let me say sorry
The next time I'll see you
I'll love you
I'll be sweet to you
I'll take you to
My healing room
Oh we both know
How loneliness goes
Everytime I see you
I want you
I want you
The more I do
You hate me to
But the great goddess
Had us blessed


KYRIÉ ELÉISON

KYRIÉ ELÉISON
back off, ol' Vampire,
Here comes the little Irish vampire slayer, dried-eyed
KYRIÉ ELÉISON      
back off, ol' oppressor, back of, those who've got most of the lier,
Here comes the little Irish vampire slayer, walk off old Vampire
CHRISTÉ ELÉISON
People joy for annoyance and some old style, on vegetables,
generations, who went to us house for crazyness -King of kings-
coming to us house as I's asleep, -and the lord of lords-
Be thankfull of this I was purified....
blesses Isle of me -Jah-
Praise the allmighty Isle
LORD HAVE MERCY
and down goes Babylon, -King of kings-, through our weakness-bond,
he has mercy, fire, Jah
MERCY,
he has mercy
MERCY
Jah, Rastafari, Motha and Fatha of the creation
CHANT DOWN BABYLON
Wonderland
LORD HAVE MERCY
Fire away, listen up, listen up the man

CHANT DOWN BABYLON
who threw up the country one step......step away ...... of sinners
Wonderland
MERCY
Who else gonna see him with the scarve
CHANT DOWN BABYLON
That'll be in the lights of the law of the allmighty,
MERCY
and these law that'll meditate the ending
CHANT DOWN BABYLON
Sinfull


 M P 3   S a m p l e s


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