c. 1998 Religion News Service

UNDATED _ On that shelf is the new musical CD”Spirit.”Nearby is the recent release”Believe.”Have we stumbled into a Christian or New Age record store?

Nope, it’s a purely mainstream setting. These albums _ by Jewel and Cher, respectively _ are just two of the latest among 1998’s bounty of spiritually-themed albums.

This was a year when major movies explored Moses and the afterlife, millions watched such TV shows as”7th Heaven”and”Charmed,”and mainstream bookstores moved mountains of tomes about goodness and godliness.

Still, one of 1998’s most intriguing pop culture stories is that a diverse group of established recording artists _ including old-timers Madonna and Eric Clapton, as well as youngsters Alanis Morissette and Jewel _ released albums permeated with prayers and proclamations, confessions and recantations; musical sermons about the urgency of spiritual regeneration and responsible living.”These artists are making statements of faith,”said J. Clinton McCann, a professor of biblical interpretation at Eden Theological Seminary, a United Church of Christ-affiliated school in St. Louis, Mo.

McCann is a co-author of”Facing the Music: Faith and Meaning in Popular Songs”set to be published in March by Chalice Press. As a scholar who”thinks about religion culturally and thinks about culture religiously,”McCann has been pleasantly surprised by the profusion and popularity of spiritually-themed releases.”You would expect that from Christian artists like dc Talk, but this year there were an impressive number of mainstream albums that were pervaded by religious _ and even biblical _ imagery.” While some of 1998’s releases were deeply devotional in tone, others used religious assumptions as a foundation for insightful examinations of human nature or contemporary life.”Good writers always ask theological questions,”said McCann, who considers pop lyrics the poetry of our age.”These artists know that something’s wrong, and they’re helping us rethink our values and our priorities.” Here is a brief look back at ten of 1998’s most spiritual popular releases:

Lauryn Hill,”The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill”:

One of the year’s most critically acclaimed and best-selling albums is also one of its most thoroughly theological. This solo debut from the Fugees’ lead singer is drenched in biblical language (songs include”Final Hour”and”Forgive Them Father”) and bristles with admonitions to get right with God and live responsibly.”How you gonna win when you ain’t right within,”she asks in the hit single”Doo Wop (That Thing).”Blending rap, hip-hop, soul, pop and reggae, Hill explores wisdom and karma, and calls for righteousness in life, sexuality and art.

Creed,”My Own Prison”:

Released in 1997, it wasn’t until 1998 that Billboard magazine named Creed its Rock Group of the Year and their God-haunted debut release its Rock Album of the Year. The title cut is a powerful, five-minute wail about the consequences of sin (“A court is in session, a verdict is in”).”What’s This Life For”is a reflective response to suicide. And”In America”is a scathing critique of post-modern morals.

Madonna,”Ray of Light”:

From 1985’s material girl to 1998’s metaphysical mom, Madonna’s come a long way, baby, and”Ray of Light”documents part of that pilgrimage. Over a pulsing electronic musical backdrop, the music mogul chants a Hindu prayer (“Shanti/Ashtangi”) and, in”Substitute for Love”expresses contrition for a life of selfish ambition:”I traded fame for love/Without a second thought … And now I find/I’ve changed my mind.” Alanis Morissette,”Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie”:

So how did 24-year-old Morissette follow up her astonishing 1995 album,”Jagged Little Pill,”which has sold nearly 30 million copies worldwide? With this powerful and probing 17-song journal of reconciliation and healing that recounts the singer’s struggle to understand, forgive and ultimately transcend the pains of life and love.”I have abused my power forgive me,”she sings in”One.””Baba”is a 90s version of the Beatles'”Sexie Sadie.””Thank U”is a secular hymn about personal transformation, while”That I Would Be Good”describes the desperate search for a sense of personal identity not dependent on wealth, accomplishment or physical attractiveness.

Eric Clapton,”Pilgrim”:

Slo-o-o-w-w-w hand, indeed! Like Clapton’s 1992 hit,”Tears in Heaven,”this collection of plodding, soulful and moody ballads is more evocative than explicit.”My Father’s Eyes,”for example, confesses:”I’m like a bridge that was washed away/My foundations were made of clay.”While”You Were There”asks,”Without your wisdom/Lord, where would we be?” Maire Brennan,”Perfect Time”:

No one can accuse Maire Brennan of jumping on the Celtic bandwagon: she’s been singing with the Irish band Clannad for nearly 30 years. On this, her third solo release, Brennan blends beautiful songs about the rich traditions of Celtic Christianity (“The Big Rock,””The Light on the Hill”), her deepening Christian faith (“Perfect Time”) and Ireland’s troubles (“Heal This Land”).

Pearl Jam,”Yield”:

The Seattle band’s fifth release goes beyond disillusionment to the desire for something more. There’s plenty of cynicism (on”Do the Evolution,”singer Eddie Vedder screams:”I am ahead/I am advanced/I am the first mammal to wear pants”). But”Given to Fly”describes a man who soars to the heavens, while”Push Me, Pull Me”wonders:”The oceans made me/But who came up with love?” Jewel,”Spirit”:

Her folk-flavored 1995 debut,”Pieces of You,”sold 10 million copies. And this past summer, she released a book of poems. Now, the 24-year-old Jewel is calling her listeners to a set of vague verities.”Come on you unbelievers, move out of the way,”she sings in the song”Life Uncommon,””There is a new army coming and we are armed with faith.”And in the single,”Hands,”she sings,”We are God’s eyes, God’s hands,”and confesses,”I will get down on my knees, and I will pray.” dc Talk,”Supernatural”:

Last fall, dc Talk’s”Supernatural”album debuted at number four on the Billboard charts, where it was sandwiched between new releases by Kiss and Marilyn Manson. That’s precisely where this tuneful trio wants to be. Like gospel giant Kirk Franklin, whose”Nu Nation Project”also debuted in the top ten, dc Talk’s songs (“Into Jesus,””The Truth”) are unambiguous, even blatant. But they’re performed with such creativity and passion that they transcend religious barriers and fall into mainstream pop acceptance.

Tori Amos,”from the choirgirl hotel”:

There’s something going on here, but with songs like”i i e e e”and lyrics like these from”Spark”(“if the Divine master plan is perfection/maybe next time I’ll give Judas a try/trusting my soul to the ice cream assassin”), no one’s sure what it is.

IR END RABEY