Worldly Veneration for Blessid Union of Souls : Pop music: A hit single highlights band’s messages of faith and hope. But success leaves little time for spirituality, say members, who play in O.C. on Sunday.

Blessid Union of Souls has struck gold with spirituality. Its single “I Believe” has brought the Cincinnati group its first Top 10 hit with its message of faith in the higher power of love to solve any problem, including bias against interracial relationships.

But in the classic pop-music paradox, the success the group has found is now distancing it from the very thing that spawned that success.

“We’ve had no more than three full days off in a row in the last four months,” said keyboardist C.P. Roth, sounding somewhat bewildered in a recent phone interview from Cologne, Germany.

A schedule like that leaves little room for quiet thoughts, relaxation or spiritual issues. Instead, the band members, also including lead singer Eliot Sloan, guitarist Jeff Pence, percussionist Eddie Hedges and touring bassist Tony Clark, have been swamped keeping up with the heavy-demand concerts, especially in Europe.

Not that the band is complaining.

“It’s been great,” Roth said. “To play live with our full electric setup is the greatest thing. It’s instant gratification, and it never, ever ceases to be a thrill.”

They’ve also been in demand for TV, magazine and newspaper interviews. The group recently appeared on a German television program called “Nur Die Liebe Zahlt (All You Need Is Love)” and has just wrapped up a new video, “Let Me Be the One,” that is soon to hit the VH1 and MTV airwaves.

Still, the group’s identity remains inextricably intertwined with the thematic cornerstone of most of the songs on its debut album, “Home.”

“Spiritual concerns . . . they reflect how I was raised and what I was taught to believe in,” said Sloan, 29, during his turn on the phone. “It seems with the success of ‘I Believe’ that a lot of people feel the same way. Sometimes, lyrics tend to be closer to the listener than the songwriter, and that’s OK.”

The group, whose members describe their soulful, roots-driven pop as “rural soul,” brings its winning mix of thought-provoking lyricism and catchy melodies stateside for shows tonight at the Del Mar Fairgrounds and Sunday at the Galaxy Concert Theatre in Santa Ana.

Their earnest messages of hope, faith and inspiration are expressed in styles ranging from bluesy, Stones-influenced jams to acoustic, folksy ballads. “I Believe” isn’t the album’s only song with commercial potential. Other candidates include the rollicking title track, the harp-driven, country-tinged “Oh Virginia” and the inspirational “Lucky to Be Here.”

Sloan cites influences from the Beatles to Stevie Wonder and Prince, while his silky vocals can recall the sweetness of Smokey Robinson. His emotionally charged singing fills the band’s elastic sound and is particularly endearing in “Nora,” a poignant tribute to Sloan’s grandmother.

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Although the band’s songs are filled with values of love, peace and harmony, the members worry little that they’ll be perceived as throwbacks to the 1960s.

“I like writing good lyrics that people can relate to . . . that fit into a song,” Sloan explained. “I try to be uplifting, speaking of love and hope, but we tackle a lot of society’s negative things as well. We’re just trying to make sense of what we see and feel, and we want people to take a piece of what we are.”

Lyrics addressing such topics as homelessness, drug abuse and racism can come off as preachy, and Roth credits his band mate for not overstepping his bounds.

“Eliot has a flair as a lyricist of sounding genuine because he sticks to what he knows,” said Roth, who said his musical inspiration came from the likes of Frank Zappa, Sun Ra and Todd Rundgren, among others. “If you stick to what you feel in your heart, it’ll ring true . . . and I think our fans are responding to that.”

* Blessid Union of Souls and All the Madmen play Sunday at the Galaxy Concert Theatre, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana. 8 p.m. $18.50. (714) 957-0600. Hear Blessid Union of Souls