Originating from County Kildare, Ireland, singer/songwriter Damien Rice started out just like any other artist trying to please the masses with corporate rock with his band Juniper. Yet after a year of wandering throughout Europe, Damien returned to Ireland where he caught the eye of producer David Arnold with his song “Blower’s Daughter.” Arnold supplied him with all the recording equipment he needed and one year later Rice emerged with the ten tracked album simply titled O, which has since then gone platinum.
On this Album, Damien Rice demonstrates a maturity and passion in both music and vocals that most artist today simple don’t have. He has stripped away all that was unnecessary in music and recorded a kind of pure sound that cannot be mistaken for anything but true human emotion. The wispy guitar strumming and delicate cello chords on track like “Cold Water” and “Blower’s Daughter” make it almost impossible not to feel a bit of longing, while the clinking wine glasses and sad clarinet solo of “Cheers Darlin” invokes the image of a lonely and somewhat envious man in a smoky pub somewhere. To be honest, O, is not an album you want to workout to every morning. .The closest thing to a “cheerful” song would have to be “Cannonball” which is slightly melancholic at best. Although the raw emotion with which Rice delivers each song may tend to rub off a bit on the listener, this effect should not be considered a flaw by any means because at the same time we can relate to in and take solace in the fact that others know how it feels to be lustful, spiteful, or heartbroken.
To say the least, O, is a documentary of all aspects of love and the human heart. I can personally say that it will always be cherished piece in my music collection.