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"Round here everybody is bleeding or everybody's filled with doubt/ Then out on the horizon, they say the truth is reveled/ Say the word, say the word, say the word/ And I shall be healed … Then I stood at an altar, the weight had caused me to kneel/Say the word, say the word, say the word/And I shall be healed" —from "I Shall Be Healed"

When Michael McDermott debuted on Giant Records in 1990, his yearning acoustic anthems earned comparisons to Bob Dylan, with some heralding him as the next Bruce Springsteen. Yet in spite of the critical acclaim, sales for 620 W. Surf never took off as expected. As a result, the troubadour began a streak of record label limbo, dropping 1993's Gethsemane on SBK, followed by a self-titled record on Capitol in 1996.

In addition to sound, McDermott's songs also resemble Springsteen and Dylan in that they sometimes bear a strong spiritual influence. It reflects his upbringing in the church, as well as his consideration of the priesthood.

"I grew up an Irish Catholic on the south side of Chicago and faith was instilled pretty early in my life," the singer/songwriter told Christian Music Today. "After high school, I thought about becoming a priest because I was pretty directionless, so I'd spend every day split between going to church and working in a record store. I began writing songs, singing, and performing, and that's where my cat and mouse game with God started. I began to 'tear down the temple' so to speak and lived out excess on the road."

Caught between the temptations of newfound stardom and the red tape of the record label, McDermott soon slipped into a cycle of alcohol and drugs. As he continued switching record companies with every album released from the late 1990s into the 2000s, the stress load continued, leading his music into darker territory, yet still spiritually influenced. "[Religious symbolism] has always been part of my vernacular," he adds. "Growing up with the Bible, those images have been burned through my mind and psyche. I don't try to do it—the language just kind of happens that way."

Today, McDermott depicts that roller coaster of uncertainty through his 2008 release Noise From Words. But for the first time in his life—personally and professionally—he appears to be cleansed from the demons that used to haunt him, using faith to overcome the occasional temptation that comes along the current path. There's an almost worshipful fervency to the piano ballad "I Shall Be Healed" (excerpted above), which vividly describes a personally confusing period for the singer/songwriter, alluding not only to forgiveness, but also finding spiritual peace.

"I wrote that song after a two day bender where I found bottom again—which I've found so many times that I've almost dug myself to China!" he admits. "I was at St. Michael's church out here and had an epiphany moment just before communion. I was in the chapel crying my eyes out and [wrote it in the context] of always feeling so close to spiritual peace, but not quite being able to grasp it. I feel closer to it now more than ever before."

McDermott bares his soul further with the Celtic-flavored "A Long Way from Heaven," which comes wrapped heavily around Tom Waits-styled lyricism: "Hey Lazarus where have you been boy?/ Is death something you still enjoy?/You're a long, long, long way from heaven/The Lord He giveth and the Lord He take/ I've broken laws that I couldn't face."

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