Canadian Bruce Cockburn's music is animated by his deeply felt Christianity. Dancing in the Dragon's Jaws, his tenth album, displays a passionate serenity, an endearing sense of wonder, and an enviable ability to view life without fear and death without despair. Though Cockburn's religiosity is rarely overexplicit, his songs do have a somewhat precious naiveté. Lyrically, they're an odd combination of poeticized spiritual dogma and images from Hollywood Bible epics. But what distinguishes Cockburn from most holy-rolled pop stars is his musical sophistication. His exotic folk-jazz and his acoustic-guitar dexterity place him in the impressive company of John Martyn, Joni Mitchell and Bert Jansch.

Two cuts here feature Cockburn at his very best. "Creation Dream" spotlights the nimble interplay between guitar, bass, marimba and voice, while "Badlands Flashback" is a stunning, surrealistic swirl: a long, mesmerizing instrumental break between kaleidoscopic verses sung in French.

The sheer beauty of Bruce Cockburn's characteristically austere arrangements makes up for a good many of his lackluster lyrics. Occasionally, he expresses sentiments so corny yet so fervent that they become almost noble. The humility in a line like "Let me be a little of your breath" is both appalling and touching. Would that more fervor crept into Cockburn's singing, however. There's nothing on Dancing in the Dragon's Jaws nearly as fierce or frightening as this passage from his earlier "Lord of the Starfields": "Oh Love that fires the sun/Keep me burning!" (RS 314)

DON SHEWEY