vicar street reviews

administrator · 09-01-2006, 11:36 AM

the irish times had a favourable review one of the vicar street shows... not so favourable from the irish independent... i can't access the irish times one online, but here's the independent's:

Rice set is as inspiring as a double geography lecture Friday September 1st 2006
DAMIEN Rice is the perfect embodiment of that oft-spoken truism: being in the right place at the right time.

The Kildare man was just another jobbing singer-songwriter when a Letterman producer, chancing on a performance in New York, gave him the opportunity to play to millions.

Cue several major US television appearances later and Rice was a bona-fide star, shifting millions of copies of his debut album 'O' and winning the prestigious Shortlist Music Award.

Since 'O's' 2002 release, he has toured relentlessly. A follow-up album has failed to materialise, despite the presence of a glut of new songs.

This should have felt like a triumphant homecoming of sorts, but that was far from the case. Rice was listless and histrionic. When he wasn't strangulating his vocals or performing his material with a po-faced earnestness, he was roaring into a distortion microphone while his band whipped up a largely over-egged accompaniment.

Where once the musical chemistry between Rice and and Lisa Hannigan seemed sparkling, it looks like it's lost its lustre. Only on new song 'Nine Crimes', where the pair harmonised beautifully, did you get a sense of how well they used to work together.

This organ-driven number was easily the best of the newbies. The rest were half-baked or like re-hashes of old territory. Much of the two-hour set felt like sitting numbly through a double geography lecture. And that would have been more fun.

Rice has become a gloomy performer, incapable of striking up a rapport with the audience. Don't expect him to go cracking jokes - in fact, for swathes of the gig, he didn't even look like he was enjoying it.

Rice saved some face with 'The Blower's Daughter', his most crowd-pleasing song, before he promptly lost it again with 'I Remember', which featured copious use of the distortion microphone once more.

JOHN MEAGHER

09-01-2006, 11:36 AM	#1
administrator forum administrator Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 2,480	vicar street reviews the irish times had a favourable review one of the vicar street shows... not so favourable from the irish independent... i can't access the irish times one online, but here's the independent's: Rice set is as inspiring as a double geography lecture Friday September 1st 2006 DAMIEN Rice is the perfect embodiment of that oft-spoken truism: being in the right place at the right time. The Kildare man was just another jobbing singer-songwriter when a Letterman producer, chancing on a performance in New York, gave him the opportunity to play to millions. Cue several major US television appearances later and Rice was a bona-fide star, shifting millions of copies of his debut album 'O' and winning the prestigious Shortlist Music Award. Since 'O's' 2002 release, he has toured relentlessly. A follow-up album has failed to materialise, despite the presence of a glut of new songs. This should have felt like a triumphant homecoming of sorts, but that was far from the case. Rice was listless and histrionic. When he wasn't strangulating his vocals or performing his material with a po-faced earnestness, he was roaring into a distortion microphone while his band whipped up a largely over-egged accompaniment. Where once the musical chemistry between Rice and and Lisa Hannigan seemed sparkling, it looks like it's lost its lustre. Only on new song 'Nine Crimes', where the pair harmonised beautifully, did you get a sense of how well they used to work together. This organ-driven number was easily the best of the newbies. The rest were half-baked or like re-hashes of old territory. Much of the two-hour set felt like sitting numbly through a double geography lecture. And that would have been more fun. Rice has become a gloomy performer, incapable of striking up a rapport with the audience. Don't expect him to go cracking jokes - in fact, for swathes of the gig, he didn't even look like he was enjoying it. Rice saved some face with 'The Blower's Daughter', his most crowd-pleasing song, before he promptly lost it again with 'I Remember', which featured copious use of the distortion microphone once more. JOHN MEAGHER __________________ Keep checking the news page for all the latest Damien Rice news.