Sinead O'Connor - Theology

The simplistic title provides a clear indication as to what lies within. Nearly every track here contains religious connotations and the record as a whole appears as though dedicated to God (first track Something Beautiful is a case and point). The double disc format is bemusing to say the least: both the same songs, one recorded in Dublin to sparse, acoustic instrumentation, the other in London with strings, beats and backing bands. Some high calibre songs (If You Had a Vineyard, We People Who Are Darker Than Blue) are excellent stand-alone folk efforts but are ruined by meddling RnB production. Few on London merit repeated listens, detracting from the whole idea. Almost predictably, Theology becomes tiresome on a thematic level; Sinead's relationship with her God is reminiscent of an obsessive girlfriend and it's inherently difficult to buy into something so personal. Her ninth LP cements her status as an iconoclastic artist and won't stop her commercial rut, but it also offers a glimpse of what might have been. [Finbarr Bermingham]