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Come all ye brokenhearted, gather 'round and listen to a modern-day troubadour. Damien Rice specializes in simple folk songs that, instead of raw instrumental or lyrical talent, rely on pure honesty and emotion to convey a message. O is his best work so far, a tour de force that is so good that it's almost impossible not to be touched in some way by it. The album starts off very strongly with "Delicate," a good representation of pretty much everything you'll find on the album. It starts out quietly with softly strummed chords and Damien singing quietly. When the chorus starts, the violins come in and stay throughout the entire record. They add so much to the music, increasing the beauty by an immeasurable amount. Rice's voice is smooth and calming, able to hit highs and lows effortlessly; the fact that such moments are unexpected makes them an even more satisfying release when he lets loose and shouts the lyrics. On "Volcano" we get our first taste of Lisa Hannigan. Whereas Damien's voice is reassuring and strong, Hannigan's is fragile, vulnerable, and ultimately deliciously depressing. The vocal interplay between the two is one of the best parts of the record.
Every song has its own highlight, from the beautiful guitar work in "Cannonball" to Hannigan's part at the end of "The Blower's Daughter" to the lone violins in "Amie." But perhaps the album's best moments are its most intense. "I Remember" is certainly Rice's most surprising song, starting out as one of the quietest tracks and ending as the loudest. Hannigan is at her most vulnerable for the first half and Rice is at his most emotional for the second half and the final release that the cacophonous ending brings is absolutely perfect. The whole album builds up to "Eskimo," which houses the album's top moment, Doreen Curran's opera singing. This album was certainly a huge surprise for me, who was expecting something good, not amazing. Rice's simple yet exceedingly pretty guitar playing paired with his and Hannigan's vocals, stunning string arrangements, and general depressing-in-a-good-way mood makes for one of my favorite albums ever. While O might not be a classic, it's damn close.
Damien Rice has proven himself as one of music's most emotional and touching figures. But he is truly at his best when he simply speaks out to you and to me, to anyone who's ever been in love, to anyone who's been hurt, and especially to anyone who's just been down,
down,
down...
| other reviews of this album |
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Album Rating: 3.5
way to sell out
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
totally sucks that lisa hannigan quit 
good review
| | | Album Rating: 3.0
I like 9 a whole lot more. nice review
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Album is good, review is good.
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this album is sod folk
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see from now on i am going to write reviews like this becasue then people actually read the whole thing
No, people generally read the whole thing if it's a good review. This one was pretty good though, voted.
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this review is sod ubm
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how will they know if it's good if they don't want to read it for length
By having a good introduction. If I'm already bored before I even get into the review, it's a boring review and I most probably won't read it. If you've ever written an essay for school, you should know what I'm talking about.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
tl;dr
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Good review. Very to-the-point and concise. I've been meaning to get this for about a year now. Maybe I'll stop putting it off soon.
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Lisa Hannigan has a beautiful voice ....I seen them live and she is also extremely easy on the eye ,I think I spent the whole gig looking at her and possibly drooling in a decidedly unattractive fashion.
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she has a demo on her myspace that sounds ok,very folky/Irish .
| | | Album Rating: 5.0
I downloaded this album almost 4 years ago during a snow storm. At first I thought it was a bit boring, well maybe just because it was snowing and I was bored anyway. you know?
anyway damien really is a genius, i saw him live in new york back in may. to be completely honest, it was a bit boring at time.. but i didn't fall asleep like DB did at the Coldplay concert lol
anyway. all around the album is good, and a lot better than 9 in my opinion.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Wow.
I just fully listened to this album.
And holy shit, this is fantastic.
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this album is so brilliant, especially the later parts of the blower's daughter. i really want 9 now.. and the live album i gave away. damn.
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cold water surrounds me
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Fantastic review. Especially considering how short it is.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Yeah good review. Favorite part of the album is, like pianotuna, the end of the blower's daughter. Lisa Hannigan's part in that is pretty amazing.
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