Sinéad O’Connor live at The Sugar Club

When the invites went out, there was a huge sense of anticipation. The prospect of an intimate evening with Sinead O’Connor, at which Ireland’s pre-eminent female artist of the past 20 years would unveil the songs from her next album, was an intrigung one.

Any Sinéad gig is an event. But she’s the kind of artist that especially thrives in a small, theatre environment like the Sugar Club. There are times when Sinead literally whispers her vocals, so to be up close and personal with her makes a whole world of difference.

This was a special gig, in that what was on offer was a sneak preview of an album that won’t be launched until April 2007. But at this stage, the work on the record is done – with the birth of Sinéad’s fourth child set to take precedence in the singer’s life over the next six months or so.

Lucky baby in Sinéad O’Connor’s belly, bathed regularly in the sublime new songs that she’s been putting together for her upcoming album, Theology.

Beautiful in a tight black-and-red, bump-revealing dress, Sinéad took the stage of Dublin’s Sugar Club with her usual bawdy grace.

Sinead likes to suck lemon between songs, an idiosyncracy that lead to one particularly memorable line.

“I’m too fat to bend down,” she deadpanned, indicating that she needed help to reach a piece of lemon that’s on a plate on the ground. “I’m afraid if I bend down I might get pregnant again. That’s how I got this way in the first place.”

Sitting simply with her acoustic guitar, the artist led us, spellbound, through nine deeply moving, uplifting, celebratory songs. She was accompanied brilliantly throughout by mandolin, violin, harp and tin whistle, with guitar played by the legendary Steve Cooney, director of operations and producer of the acoutic part of Sinead’s new album.

Sinéad’s voice is sounding strong and pure and true. Her newly-penned material, unashamedly spiritual in nature, connects us to the deepest, safest, most peaceful, most comforting part of ourselves, marking in its surefootedness a renaissance in the singer’s songwriting abilities. It’s so refreshing, in songs like ‘Jeremiah/Something Beautiful’ and ‘Samuel/The Glory of Jah’, to hear an exploration of spiritual as opposed romantic love, which is a hackneyed theme in much of today’s mainstream pop and rock music.

What a treat also to get a taste of Theology amidst a deeply appreciative audience, who wanted to savour every note. After sipping for an hour from this album’s cup, all at The Sugar Club were left anticipating with joy the chance to hear more.

“The new songs sounded just gorgeous,” enthused RTE2 FM’s DJ Dan Hegarty after the show. “I absolutely loved them. A lot were fairly folk-based, but the whole reggae thing is there too, and she does that crossing of genres so well.”

Right now, there is the work – and the pleasure – of being a mother again to occupy Sinéad. But come the spring, it’ll be very interesting to watch, as she places an album that in its essence will stand proudly against the tide of consumerism into the belly of the beast that is the marketplace.

Roger Quail of Rubyworks, the label releasing Theology, was thrilled by Sinead’s performance, which was recorded and filmed for later release.

“It was an amazing show from an incredible artist on a new creative high,” said Quail, “and a real privilege to see her so close-up and personal.”

And so say all of us…