O

by

Damien Rice

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This CD made it's way into my hands when a friend, an Irish singer, said if he could be anyone in the world, he would be Damien Rice. He put this album on and watched eagerly as I devoured it for the first time. Inevitable comparisons to Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, Dave Matthews and Tom Waits will be made, but Rice is a genre unto himself.

Rice's voice is beautiful, and in it's human imperfection, convey's a world of deep emotion. The vocal style can change from song to song, but his ability to sing straight to your soul is always there. The lyrics are deep and they burn.

'Cold Water' made me weep, I was so caught up. The Gregorian chant at the end was a perfect emotional denouement. 'I Remember' hurt, it was so good.

Lisa Hannigan's vocals are woven together with Rice's in a perfect compliment. Her voice begins where his ends.

Cellist Vyvienne Long adds a deep, grounding tone that is haunting.

The acoustic guitar arrangement went from spartan to a wall of sound. The organic feel augmented the feel of the whole album.

As my friend watched me listen for the first time, I knew I had a problem on my hands.

What could I possibly do to return this favor?

I'll say some positive things first: Rice has an emotive, soulful voice, can pen a good lyric or two, and is a talented musician. That said, these same things work against him, at least for me. His voice, while distinct, becomes grating at times -- the way he'll say a line softly at first and then sing it at a higher pitch rather dramatically. It's a nice touch that gets a bit overplayed, especially in The Blower's Daughter. Lyrically, I feel the album has a propensity to teeter off into the land of "tales for heartbroken teenagers." But I think that's what it means to do so that's OK. Heavy-handed and dramatic lyrics like "Stones taught me to fly/Love taught me to lie/Life taught me to die" seem to target teens flopping on the sands of a crush or heartache but, in the end, they lack real punch.

Musically, there are many things I like, as much as things I don't. I dig the disjointed piano on "Cheers Darlin'" and how it builds and breaks into singing strings at the end of the song. I also was impressed with the more agressive jams on "I Remember" and the extra songs on "Eskimo". At the same time, the strings / acoustic guitar combination don't do much for me on songs like "Older Chests" and "Cold Water" excpet maybe make me sleepy.

I've heard plenty of talk about how Rice is the new voice of modern folk music, how he's a saving grace in the music industry, etc. These are lofty claims that not many can live up to -- and I'd like to see where Mr. Rice's songs are being played in 5 years. Most likely on a soft-rock station over the speakers at a dentist's office. "The Blower's Daughter", in the end, might be the tune I'm listening to as I get my first root canal.