Here's what Sinead O'Connor did not do during her appearance at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival last night, one of the coldest, rainiest, most miserable nights in recent memory:

She did not shout "fight the real enemy!" and then rip up a photo of Ralph Klein. She did not sing Nothing Compares 2 U, her first big hit, without which she probably wouldn't have been here to begin with. She hardly addressed the crowd at all, except to say "thank you" in a silly voice and dedicate one song to "all the dead people who might be at the gig."

Huh?

It looks like our earnest Irish crooner has gone from being controversial to being a wee bit ditzy. Oh, well. A shivering, drizzle-soaked crowd of more than 12,000 didn't care. The mood was somewhat less happy and somewhat less easygoing than it was on Thursday, but the crowd sure was pleased that O'Connor showed up (there were rumors that she wasn't going to make it). And what she lacked in stage presence, she made up for in finesse and good taste. She largely left her politics in the context of the music. A few tunes touched on the English-Irish issue, but many were about motherhood, a topic O'Connor has recently become acquainted with.

Musically, it was a show rich in contrasts, from airy dirges to machine-driven dance rhythms topped by Celtic melodies. The opening song Fire of Babylon was a relatively straight-ahead rocker, Thank You for Hearing Me was framed in a hip-hop beat and her closing encore was a simple, traditional Irish ballad from the Michael Collins film.

Backed by a 10-piece band dubbed "the Screaming Orphans," that included four female backup singers and an electric cello player, O'Connor did most of the Universal Mother album as well as her recent Gospel Oak EP, but very little of her earlier work. Teenage girls, who seem to be among O'Connor's most ardent fans, cheered and sang along in any case.

The soaring vocal harmonies caused the most chills (beyond the chills that were already there), especially during a moving a capella piece. After a set that lasted more than an hour, O'Connor earned two standing ovations.

Funny thing, though, as soon as she left - scooting out through the media tent surrounded by bodyguards and not making any eye contact with anyone - the weather cleared right up.

Coincidence? We think so.

Dee Carstensen opened the night by playing a wicked harp - and I'm not talking about the mouth organ variety. This was the real thing, the 40-kilo, many-stringed kind of harp one usually sees in orchestra pits. The show was basically background music for an incoming crowd dismayed at the horrible weather (it's hard to believe that we were complaining about the heat only days ago), but for those willing to pay attention, the New York-based performer was a real treat. Supported by percussionist Everett Bradley and guitarist Tonya Leah, Carstensen sang a bit like a chirpier version of Jann Arden. The combinations of tight vocal harmonies and the always pleasant strains of the harp were beautiful.

Next year, maybe, this excellent performer will get a better slot at the folk fest - and some better weather, we hope.