Sinéad O'Connor

Sinéad’s first acoustic disc is a tough one. Intensely personal and even seductive, in a "Song of Solomon” sort of way, Theology lays bare what’s been on the singer’s mind for the last few years: religion. Ever the iconoclast, though, even an album in which the songs are matched to biblical scriptures doesn’t quash the wonderfully subversive spirit of O’Connor. Take, for instance, "Out of the Depths,” a fragile yet defiant song that takes institutional religion to task for monopolising God, or "33” (as in Psalm 33), a Rastafari-filtered praise to God/Jah that beckons believers to turn up their bass amp, amongst other things. The songs are gorgeous indeed, but with only acoustic guitar accompaniment and no pop sensibilities in sight this is a very different album for O’Connor and one that takes several listens to appreciate. There is a second disc included, however, that features the songs with full band treatment. Of these, the covers of the Melodians’ "Rivers of Babylon” and Curtis Mayfield’s "We People Who Are Darker Than Blue” are exceptionally retooled. Passing fans may be turned off by Theology’s overt religious nature but diehards would expect nothing less than a bare heart and an unforeseen musical direction from a woman whose career has ignored all rulebooks.