Sinead Sings And Speaks Her Mind

In her 13 years in the music industry, Sinead O'Connor has been no stranger to headlines, controversy and great reviews for her work. She's back now with Faith And Courage, her first full length album of new material in six years. She performed several of her new songs on Tuesday's edition of The Early Show.

O'Connor's latest album blends traditional Irish instrumentation with modern programming. There is everything from penny whistles to drum machines. She wrote 10 of the 13 songs on Faith and Courage.

The first single of the album, No Man's Woman, is a song that she co-wrote about celibacy. She says that she has a high calling toward celibacy, but in a letter sent to the Hot Press Magazine on June 8, 2000 she reportedly wrote, "I am a lesbian. I love men, but I prefer sex with women, and I prefer romantic relationships with women."

A few weeks before that, she reportedly told the same publication, "I don't believe there's any such thing as gay or straight. And though I have slept with women, I am much more attracted to men."

But O'Connor was more interested in talking about her art Tuesday. When CBS News Entertainment Reporter Mark McEwen mentioned that he hears echos of Sinead in the music of the Cranberries and Alanis Morissette, O'Connor replied: "Equally, the way I feel is that I was influenced by other people that came before me. Do you know what I mean? I was impersonating them on my first few records... We're all influenced by each other."

In 1997, she was ordained by controversial Irish clergyman Bishop Michael Cox; she changed her name to Mother Bernadette Maria. But when McEwen he asked about her priesthood, she said, "I understand why you have to ask that. But it's very important for me not to really talk about it, because I didn't do it for publicity reasons, and if I talk about it, it feeds the suggestion that I did."

Furthermore, she told him she was not interested in talking about things he reads about her in the newspapers.

"I don't want things to overshroud my records," she said. "I have had 13 years of a lot of issues. I deserve to really be respected just as an artist."

Then McEwen pointed out that controversy does follow her around.

"That's the way things used to be," she says. "But I'm 33 years of age now. I was 20 when my first record came out, then 23. In your 20s, people are controversial. You're feisty and whatever… For example, child abuse was a lot of what I was writing about. That could be challenging. I feel very differently about that now. I really want to be respected for the artist I am and not be overshrouded by a whole lot of rubbish."

O'Connor has no plans for an extended tour. "I have two kids. I don't want to leave them. My daughter's only 4, and she really needs my attention."