I was cruising Jonny Baker's blog and ran across his response to Sinead O'Connor's latest CD, Theology. Here's a bit of his take:i bought it on impulse not having heard anything on it, intrigued by the dedication on the sleeve to a theology professor for his classes on jeremiah who suggested to sinead that she set some scriptures to music. well thank god he made that suggestion. because theology is pretty much that - a range of old testament scriptures woven tenderly into song. it's pretty, beautiful and powerful. i'm sure sinead must have read walter brueggemann in her classes? at least she fulfills the two roles of the prophet as he describes it - to evoke grief/lament about what has been lost and where we have become numb and to evoke amazement about god and the new world that is possible of healing, justice, and mercy.
Well, that was enough for me; I ordered it this evening. I am totally intrigued and can't wait to hear it. I'm in the midst of reading Michael Frost's Exiles:Living Missionally in a Post Christian Culture in which Frost talks about the need for "dangerous songs" that speak to genuine worship and experience and call us to the revolution of new life that Jesus is and leads us into. Maybe these fit the bill? Read the rest of Baker's response here.
Update: Check out the review of Theology by Christa Banister at Christianity Today, who concludes "there's still plenty of common ground and heartfelt songwriting on Theology for Christians to appreciate." (Hat tip LookingCloser.)
Another update: Here's an interesting take on a recent U.S. appearance by and an interview with O'Connor at CT by Andree Farias, who reveals: "Her voice is still powerful, and, combined with the ancient text, it's nearly prophetic. But just as the audience begins to heed her admonition, O'Connor, between songs, makes a crude joke about the female anatomy. By show's end and a few f-bombs later, we're all convinced: old Sinéad hasn't gone anywhere."
(Image: copyrighted by KOCH records and Rubyworks)