Additional information
Personnel: Sinead O'Connor (vocals); Bongo I Abinghi Noah (spoken vocals, percussion); Ghetto Priest, Junior Delgado (spoken vocals); Skip McDonals (guitar, bass, keyboards); Rusty Anderson, Scott Cutler, Dave Stewart, Derek Scott, Justin Adams (guitar); Joel Derouin (violin); David Campbell (viola); Larry Corbett (cello); Kiernan Kiely (whistle); Carlton "Bubblers" Ogilive (piano, bass); Brian Eno (piano); Adrian "Professor Stretch" Shortman (keyboards, programming); Zak Rae, Dave Levitta (keyboards); Caroline Dale (string synthesizer); Paul Bushnell, Jah Wobble, Chucho Merchan, (bass); Lil John, Scot Coogan, John Reynolds, Chris Sharrock (drums); Reese Gilmore, Alan Branch, Simon Mundey, Jeff Turzo, Andy Wright, Mark Price, Steve McClaughlin (programming). Producers: Brian Eno, Wyclef Jean, Adrian Sherwood, Skip McDonald, Dave Stewart. Engineers: Alan Branch, Nick Addison, Darin Prindle. Whether chastising her native Ireland on "The Lamb's Book of Life" or waxing defiant on "No Man's Woman," Sinead O'Connor covers a wide emotional ground on 2000's FAITH AND COURAGE. Includes one bonus track. After spending most of the late '90s out of the spotlight (save for 1997's GOSPEL OAK EP), Sinead O'Connor's reemergence in 2000 on a new label coincides with the introspective nature of FAITH AND COURAGE, representing a new musical start for her. The wide array of producers here results in an ethereal mix of hip-hop beats, Celtic nuances and electronic shadings. FAITH represents O'Connor opening the door on her private life. The most biographical tracks are the anthemic "No Man's Woman," the Dave Stewart-produced "Jealous" and "Daddy I'm Fine." Elsewhere, O'Connor's love of contemporary R&B finds her combining ghetto-fabulous reggae beats (overseen by Destiny's Child producer Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs) and Irish pennywhistle on "The Lamb's Book of Life," a plea for religious tolerance. Producer Wyclef Jean also contributes his two cents on the gentle soul of "Dancing Lessons," recruiting sister Blandinna Melky Jean to contribute vocals. O'Connor's pride in motherhood is displayed on "Emma's Song," a gorgeous ode to her daughter featuring Brian Eno's delicate piano playing. Wrapping things up is an ambient arrangement of the traditional "Kyrie Eleison" with a Rastafarian edge supplied by reggae legends Junior Delgado and Bim Sherman.
Reviews
Rolling Stone (6/22/00, p.132) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...Repentant and yet still gloriously provocative, [the album] speaks with the jaw-clenched directness for which [she] is both famous and infamous....This is the Sinead album you've been wanting for years." Uncut (8/00, p.96) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...[Fuses] Irish and Jamaican influences, programmed beats and the glorious pop sensibility which has always characterised her best work..." Entertainment Weekly (6/16/00, p.90) - "...[Her] most coherent record since 1990's I DO NOT WANT WHAT I HAVEN'T GOT, the addled feminist mystic and the pop/rock diva sync up again, and the result deserves to be an Oprah's Book Club selection..." - Rating: B+ CMJ (6/12/00, p.24) - "...Reveals an O'Connor who...wears a more placid, mature face....her voice whispers and floats, her political, religious and woman-been-done-wrong ideas painted on a canvas of soft, Celt-influenced melodies..." Vibe (8/00, p.166) - "...Her greatest album in years and also one of her most complicated....For her, healing is achieved through the pain of exposing wounds, which makes her material like a pill that takes faith and courage to swallow." Mojo (Publisher) (8/00, p.110) - "...A lush, expensive sounding record that blithely and bravely conflates Rastafari and Catholocism, folk and dub..."
