MusicRoundup
The Rice Man Cometh
By Louise Carroll
Damien Rice: o
If you have lost faith in the possibility for a new singer-songwriter
to emerge with a graceful album of dirges and lullabies, it’s time to believe
again. Dublin-born Damien Rice’s debut album, o, has been released in the
U.S. by Vector Recordings (see also
www.damienrice.com) after being praised
ceaselessly overseas for the past year.
With literary references to rival Sting, Rice borrows his album title
from the French classic erotic novel, The Story of O. Love, loss and the
eternal fixture of time drive the beautiful and fragile songs. The album
opens with “Delicate,” a song about the intensity of intimate encounters,
which sets the tone and prevailing theme of the record. In later tracks,
the powerful use of strings in “The Blower’s Daughter” and “Amie” create
an atmosphere of pure Irish melancholy.
Rice’s lyrics have a number of surprises. In “Volcano,” he sings: “You
give me miles and miles of mountains/And I’ll ask/For the sea.” No matter
what the landscape is, the singer won’t be satisfied with what love has
to offer. And in “The Blower’s Daughter,” Rice proclaims: “I can’t take
my eyes off you/I can’t take my mind off you/Until I find someone new.”
Just when you think it’s unrequited love – think again.
Singer Lisa Hannigan shares vocal duties with Rice throughout the album,
and she presents the woman’s side of the story in the troubled romances.
Her soft voice suits the acoustic melodies and enhances the music’s ethereal
quality.
After hearing some of his new songs live, and from what I’ve read in
the press, I expect his next release to be more harsh and rock-based, and
I wasn’t a big fan of this direction. So I would grab o while it is still
on the shelves. I recommend buying it unreservedly. Rice has said that the
unusual album title related to the mistakes that we make over and over again,
and it is a sad and eloquent work.
Last year, fellow folk-rockers Wilco insisted that they were trying to
break your heart. This year, Damien Rice will undoubtedly succeed.
Paul Brady: Songbook
Paul Brady has released a retrospective CD and DVD titled Songbook. The
collection was filmed at Marlay House in Rathfarnam, Dublin and features
Brady playing with a range of guest musicians and singers who came together
to record songs from Brady’s prolific career. The album has a fun, live
feeling to it, and Brady’s songs of sunny optimism and sweet romance are
a pleasure to hear. Irish legendary vocalist Mary Black and American jazz
musician and singer Curtis Stigers both make guest appearances on the album.
Brady is touring through the East Coast in September, playing shows in
Connecticut, Vermont, New York and Massachusetts. For up-to-date information
on his schedule, refer to his record label’s website:
http://www.compassrecords.com.
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