Chicago Sun-Times September 18, 1994, SUNDAY, Late Sports Final Edition Sinead O'Connor, "Universal Mother" (Chrysalis) (STAR) (STAR) (STAR) (STAR) Released earlier this year, the Peter Gabriel-inspired single "You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart" was a promising sign that Sinead O'Connor had reconnected with her distinctive muse. Her third album, the collection of standards titled "Am I Not Your Girl?" (1992), was a big disappointment. Now comes a collection of a dozen songs that reaffirms O'Connor's status as an eloquent and poetic songwriter with a penetrating and soulful voice. " Universal Mother" falls short of equaling O'Connor's stunning debut, "The Lion and the Cobra" (1987), but it goes even further than her version of "Nothing Compares 2 U" (1990) in showing the emotional depths that her voice is capable of plumbing. O'Connor's vocals are set against spare arrangements of guitar, piano, drums and the occasional string part. The 27-year-old singer controls the dramatic dynamics and injects most of the melodic hooks. As indicated by the title, motherhood is a recurring theme. "Fire on Babylon" captures the rage of a parent watching her child being mistreated. "My Darling Child" is a heartwarming lullabye, and "Red Football" is a warning that this woman isn't going to be kicked around. ("My womb is not a football for you," she sings.) In this context, O'Connor's tender acoustic cover ofNirvana's "All Apologies" can be heard as the singer reacting to Kurt Cobain's suicide not only as a peer and fellow Generation X member, but also as a mother who felt the urge to comfort someone who was hurting. It's powerful stuff, providing evidence that despite the missteps of the last few years, O'Connor remains a contender. Jim DeRogatiss