| 4.5 superb | Nick Greer EMERITUS | July 15th 06 |
The more and more I listen to Damien Rice, the more I realize that there is no way to dislike his music. It may be sentimental and sappy, but there is a tangible yet inexplicable honesty and softness to every performance of his that validates any amount of sappiness he slops onto his songs. The end result is beautiful, wonderful balladry. He's not a bad storyteller either.
4 Bumps | Bump |
| 3.5 great | Ethan | November 15th 08 |
In my opinion, the songs here range from incredible to incredibly boring.
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 4.5 superb | Brighter Than the Noonday | November 2nd 12 |
Rice crafts a breath-stealing release that presents diversity, honest lyrics, and melodies so fragile they could break at any moment. But Rice somehow makes every moment the very opposite of boring. Whether his voice, dry humor, or orchestra accompaniment that does the trick, elements of drama are always put to use without being over-sensational. One of the best alt-folk releases.
Bump |
| 0.0 | jdennis31 | January 24th 12 |
Was a 4.5, then i realized this only has like 5 good songs.
Bump |
| 4.5 superb | dormisher | June 28th 11 |
This album makes me wish I was female then Damien Rice would maybe fall in love with me and write beautiful love songs for me. As it stands I think my beard my put him off.
Bump |
| 3.5 great | Alexander Mee | January 17th 11 |
This is simulataneously boring and interesting at the same time. It gets a bit tedious listening to Rice's lovesick croon through some songs, however when the music opens up in I Remember and Eskimo, this becomes so much more than a straightforward acoustic-balladry. I would suggest listening to the more ambitious pieces such as 'The Blowers Daughter', 'Eskimo' and 'I Remember'.
Bump |
| 3.0 good | Oscar Schumacher | September 1st 09 |
There are great songs here. Usually the ones with the most Lisa Hannigan though. She is just an angel. Her voice is heartbreakingly lovely. Highlights for me are The Blowers Daughter, Cold Water, I Remember and Eskimo. However I find it hard to get past the relatively poor guitar playing (many songs are basically the same chord sequences for one) and also the lyrics. Whilst honesty is respectable, sometimes it feels very 'sixth form poetry' (high school for you 'mericans) and a whole album of heartbreak is tedious. So three stars for the above, exceptional songs. And Lisa Hannigan.
Bump |
| 5.0 classic | donovr | December 24th 07 |
This album will go down as one of my favorites of all time. The production is unbelievable. I love all the subtleties when listening to each track such as the voices talking in the back ground of Cheers Darlin', the reverb on the piano in Cold Water, and the sheer silence at the beginning Delicate. Damien's voice cracks with the emotion he wears on his sleeves. Most people who are passive listeners to Damien Rice only know him as the man who writes catchy and cute love songs. However, the best parts of O are the parts that are gritty and dark such as the end of I Remember It Well. A gorgeous record that is truly a classic.
Bump |
| 3.0 good | Nick Butler STAFF | November 13th 06 |
This ended up being awfully over-rated, didn't it? Honestly, O is a good record. It ends there. Murdered by a lack of variation, inconsistency, and a top-heavy sequencing, it's nevertheless home to a couple of brilliant songs - "Volcano" and "Cannonball" being the highlights. "The Blower's Daughter" is great if you're prepared to overlook the cheesy pay-off line of 'I can't take my eyes off of you....'. But after about 3 or 4 listens, these are the only tracks you'll regularly return to. At its heights, it's wonderful, but it's pretty boring in places, too. The follow-up, 9, is a massive improvement upon this. Worth investigating, but don't expect the masterpiece it's proclaimed to be.
Bump |
| 4.5 superb | Michael Freitag | October 12th 06 |
To put it bluntly: I adore every track except "Eskimo", which has to be the one of the outrightly strangest thing I've ever heard recorded and released as a song on an album. "Cannonball" is an absolutely beautiful, quiet track of acoustic guitars and breathy, touching vocals. "The Blower's Daughter" is a key track with some excellent arranging, and Damien's emotional delivery really makes the track perfect. I remember being amazed and entranced by the incredible duality of "I Remember" and the drunken swooning of "Cheers, Darlin'". And songs like "Amie" have that perfect, underlying sense of nostalgia, even if you're too young to fully realise what you're feeling - you know in your heart exactly what Rice is expressing, and you know that you either have gone or will go through exactly the same.
Bump |
| 5.0 classic | Hatshepsut | October 9th 06 |
This album got me started to get some more indie. I absolutely adore this album for its beauty. There's a great mellowness about this album that calms me when I hear it. There are great guitar melodies that flow with the use of violins, violas and cellos here that is like no other.
Bump |
| 5.0 classic | radianteclipse | June 21st 06 |
This album is as close to a classic is any singer/songwriter has written in recent history. Damien Rice has a gift, and that gift is writing some of the most lovely and hearfelt music that can be found. Songs like "The Blower's Daughter", "Cannonball", "Older Chests", and "I Remember" are hard to listen to without shedding at least a single tear from the eye. This isn't just music to listen to, this is music to get lost in, music to become, music to let filter into your soul and carry it with you for all of time.
Bump |
| 4.0 excellent | tincat | April 19th 13 |
| 4.0 excellent | Adam | March 25th 13 |
| 4.0 excellent | zxlkho | March 17th 13 |
| 4.5 superb | Halzy31 | February 7th 13 |
| 4.0 excellent | Sevhead | December 20th 12 |
| 3.5 great | rien333 | December 16th 12 |
| 5.0 classic | juninja | December 14th 12 |
| 5.0 classic | Dask | December 4th 12 |
| 3.5 great | dwejkk | November 20th 12 |
| 4.5 superb | Collin | November 20th 12 |
| 4.5 superb | choch25 | November 7th 12 |
| 3.5 great | balazs | October 19th 12 |
| 5.0 classic | muzak | October 14th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | JBowl | July 25th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | Tupik | July 18th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | Gavwah | June 25th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | Beauers | June 18th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | vivapo | April 9th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | iglu | March 12th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | Ruezann | March 9th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | cedris | January 13th 12 |
| 5.0 classic | JPaller | December 27th 11 |
| 3.5 great | ifitz | December 23rd 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | Kaozz16 | December 18th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | Danny | December 14th 11 |
| 4.5 superb | iAGRIOS | September 21st 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | Shaun | August 22nd 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | a7c7e7 | July 18th 11 |
| 3.5 great | WLuke | June 22nd 11 |
| 3.5 great | Yotimi | February 14th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | Tom | February 5th 11 |
| 4.5 superb | jmmw | January 27th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | bjorkil | January 7th 11 |
| 3.0 good | Comj | December 16th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | Daedus | December 10th 10 |
| 4.5 superb | AMGuide | November 5th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | seifer | November 5th 10 |
| 4.5 superb | Quinn | November 5th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | BluRain | October 17th 10 |
| 4.5 superb | esw1026 | October 14th 10 |
| 3.5 great | mvood | September 29th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | antism | September 15th 10 |
| 3.5 great | noisy | September 12th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | cvrcmrc | August 31st 10 |
| 4.5 superb | doug | August 13th 10 |
| 4.5 superb | 1zero | July 25th 10 |
| 4.5 superb | Avius | July 24th 10 |
| 2.5 average | Bleak | July 21st 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | Lewis | July 20th 10 |
| 3.0 good | Thef | June 11th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | Ramos29 | April 7th 10 |
| 3.5 great | Aziz CONTRIBUTOR | March 24th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | Jordish | March 9th 10 |
| 4.5 superb | James | March 6th 10 |
| 4.5 superb | Siraxta | February 4th 10 |
| 4.5 superb | DonDijk | January 15th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | Markk1 | January 9th 10 |
| 4.5 superb | Banion | December 29th 09 |
| 5.0 classic | Tim00w | December 22nd 09 |
| 3.5 great | DayMan | October 22nd 09 |
| 4.0 excellent | mairc86 | October 20th 09 |
| 3.5 great | bungy | October 10th 09 |
| 4.0 excellent | DLNation | September 24th 09 |
| 4.0 excellent | blunte | September 22nd 09 |
| 4.5 superb | Jansen | September 19th 09 |
| 4.5 superb | Jens13 | September 12th 09 |
| 4.0 excellent | jebird | August 23rd 09 |
| 4.5 superb | Zion | August 23rd 09 |
| 4.0 excellent | Jasiu | May 2nd 09 |
| 4.5 superb | Sempel | April 26th 09 |
| 2.5 average | tom79 | April 16th 09 |
| 4.5 superb | rav3 | April 3rd 09 |
| 4.5 superb | gaz | February 19th 09 |
| 4.0 excellent | RedSky | December 15th 08 |
| 4.0 excellent | Hannah | December 8th 08 |
| 4.0 excellent | armfarm | December 8th 08 |
| 4.5 superb | risbo | November 18th 08 |
| 4.5 superb | dukes | November 9th 08 |
| 2.0 poor | weapon | November 1st 08 |
| 4.0 excellent | Chiral | October 25th 08 |
| 4.5 superb | TheTony | October 23rd 08 |
| 4.5 superb | p12 | July 31st 08 |
| 4.0 excellent | Kehl | July 1st 08 |
| 2.5 average | JAV | June 1st 08 |
| 3.5 great | Bobby | April 12th 08 |
| 4.0 excellent | Adam | February 22nd 08 |
| 4.0 excellent | ohpm500 | January 28th 08 |
| 3.0 good | ncherf | January 16th 08 |
| 5.0 classic | TommyB | December 26th 07 |
| 4.0 excellent | Kalle J. | December 15th 07 |
| 3.5 great | Kiran EMERITUS | December 13th 07 |
| 4.5 superb | AFI084 | November 4th 07 |
| 4.0 excellent | five2one | September 28th 07 |
| 4.0 excellent | Regole | August 28th 07 |
| 4.0 excellent | Floppy | July 30th 07 |
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