Another Review of 9

Rannveig · 10-26-2006, 04:07 PM

http://www.gigwise.com/contents.asp?contentid=23672&p=1

The astounding success of Damien Rice's debut album 'O' looks to be eclipsed by the beauty and potency of his second album, '9'. ‘O’ flooded the high water mark with sales of 1 million in the U.K. and 10 times platinum in Ireland, the Dublin-born artist providing a narrative stage-lighting for many a relationship with songs such as 'Blower's Daughter', 'Volcano' and 'Cold Water'. On '9', Damien Rice explores further the themes of emotional veracity and personal-integrity with his rawest and gutsiest tracks yet, with vulnerability and catharsis delving deeper into the soul-maps of the emotional nature.

'9 Crimes' sets the scene with co-singer Lisa Hannigan opening the verses with slow piano and a raised emotional barometer, verses twisting and turning with Damien - "...leave me out with the waste/ this is not what I do/ it's the wrong kind of place/ to be cheating on you...it's small crime/ and I've got no excuse..." - addressing the wrongdoing, guilt and regret with underscoring cello - "...is that all right/ yeah/ give my gun away/ when it's loaded...is that all right/ with you/ - No!" - kinda sticks in the throat. 'Elephant' features Vyvienne Long on cello with Damien's voice unfettered, wild yet masterly in expression and poignancy - the band struck pell-mell for one verse and the opening/closing - "This has got to die/ this has got to stop/ this has got to lie down...". The folky 'Rootless Tree' sounds all genteel and humdinger till the chorus strikes - "...**** you/ **** you..." lucid with rage, tangled and confused, affronted and self-determining with liberating orchestration - "...let me out/ let me out/ let me out// **** you / **** you...", like riding the black waters.

'Coconut Skins' brings comparisons with the bearded-bard's 'Desolation Row' - an affirmative and chipper acoustic guitar strum, pregnant with poetic-imagery of the inner-life's complexities and a singalong jauntiness - "...you can sit on chimneys/ with some fire up your ass/ no need to know what your doing/ or what your waiting for...", Damien addressing life incarnate and soul-embodied, "...you can lie between her legs/ and go looking for/ tell her you're searching for her soul...".

'Accidental Babies' has a share of the catharsis with a sad solo-piano and song to cauterise the pain of a bleeding-heart - "...do you cum/ together ever with him/ is he dark enough/ enough to see your light...does he drive you wild or just mildly free/ what about me?/ what about me?" - impossibly, achingly beautiful. 'Me, My Yoke An I' harbours a menacing, shackled guitar and the lustful demeanor - "My drum/ my drum/ my drum/ gonna make ye/ come...”, Damien's voice stalking higher into Dionysian heights - “…'cause my god/ gave me a rod/ my god/ gave me a rod/ for fishin'/ fishin'/ fishin!..." - then helter skelter grunge-guitar ripping guts and torso apart, limb from connective tissue, aorta from heart. Rock ripped from Roll. One hell of a clean up job!

Tissues may be useful for 'The Animals Were Gone' - documenting the vacant heart and home with lovelorn verse - "...cause waking up without you/ is like drinking from an empty cup...", textured by a sumptuous orchestral-richness. 'Dogs' paints a more meditative scene with a Jack Johnson-lightness and watercolour observations of "...the girl who does yoga..." with a home-spun beauty; and 'Grey Room' has a fireside-intimacy with gentleness in timbre - "...have I still got you to be my open door...".The album closes with 'Sleep Don't Weep' and couples with Lisa Hannigan for support, revisiting 'Blower's Daughter' for a lovesong with universality, "...think I found a place where I feel I belong...sleep/ don't weep/ my sweet...", comforted into stillness.

"Beauty is truth, truth beauty, - that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know." In '9' Damien Rice has crafted a masterpiece, period. In all likelihood it will be found to have the longevity and gravity of Jeff Buckley's 'Grace' and Dylan's 'Highway 61 Revisited'. '9' has arresting and earth-halting properties yet feels like you've been on a journey - the combinations of Damien's voice, songwriting and arrangements possess a power and spirituality with torrents of expressed-emotion and musical prowess that make him one of (if not) the most important living singer-songwriters at work today.

julia · 10-26-2006, 05:33 PM

wow what a wonderful review. I loved reading it. Thanks for posting..

Dangana · 10-26-2006, 08:29 PM

It's a great review because the writer understands Damien's music and his passion for baring his soul to all of us through his songs.

administrator · 10-26-2006, 09:48 PM

thanks for sharing that

much better than the digital spy review (http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/article/ds38491.html)

10-26-2006, 04:07 PM	#1
Rannveig Lives Near an Eskimo Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 64	Another Review of 9 http://www.gigwise.com/contents.asp?contentid=23672&p=1 The astounding success of Damien Rice's debut album 'O' looks to be eclipsed by the beauty and potency of his second album, '9'. ‘O’ flooded the high water mark with sales of 1 million in the U.K. and 10 times platinum in Ireland, the Dublin-born artist providing a narrative stage-lighting for many a relationship with songs such as 'Blower's Daughter', 'Volcano' and 'Cold Water'. On '9', Damien Rice explores further the themes of emotional veracity and personal-integrity with his rawest and gutsiest tracks yet, with vulnerability and catharsis delving deeper into the soul-maps of the emotional nature. '9 Crimes' sets the scene with co-singer Lisa Hannigan opening the verses with slow piano and a raised emotional barometer, verses twisting and turning with Damien - "...leave me out with the waste/ this is not what I do/ it's the wrong kind of place/ to be cheating on you...it's small crime/ and I've got no excuse..." - addressing the wrongdoing, guilt and regret with underscoring cello - "...is that all right/ yeah/ give my gun away/ when it's loaded...is that all right/ with you/ - No!" - kinda sticks in the throat. 'Elephant' features Vyvienne Long on cello with Damien's voice unfettered, wild yet masterly in expression and poignancy - the band struck pell-mell for one verse and the opening/closing - "This has got to die/ this has got to stop/ this has got to lie down...". The folky 'Rootless Tree' sounds all genteel and humdinger till the chorus strikes - "...** you/ you..." lucid with rage, tangled and confused, affronted and self-determining with liberating orchestration - "...let me out/ let me out/ let me out// you / ** you...", like riding the black waters. 'Coconut Skins' brings comparisons with the bearded-bard's 'Desolation Row' - an affirmative and chipper acoustic guitar strum, pregnant with poetic-imagery of the inner-life's complexities and a singalong jauntiness - "...you can sit on chimneys/ with some fire up your ass/ no need to know what your doing/ or what your waiting for...", Damien addressing life incarnate and soul-embodied, "...you can lie between her legs/ and go looking for/ tell her you're searching for her soul...". 'Accidental Babies' has a share of the catharsis with a sad solo-piano and song to cauterise the pain of a bleeding-heart - "...do you cum/ together ever with him/ is he dark enough/ enough to see your light...does he drive you wild or just mildly free/ what about me?/ what about me?" - impossibly, achingly beautiful. 'Me, My Yoke An I' harbours a menacing, shackled guitar and the lustful demeanor - "My drum/ my drum/ my drum/ gonna make ye/ come...”, Damien's voice stalking higher into Dionysian heights - “…'cause my god/ gave me a rod/ my god/ gave me a rod/ for fishin'/ fishin'/ fishin!..." - then helter skelter grunge-guitar ripping guts and torso apart, limb from connective tissue, aorta from heart. Rock ripped from Roll. One hell of a clean up job! Tissues may be useful for 'The Animals Were Gone' - documenting the vacant heart and home with lovelorn verse - "...cause waking up without you/ is like drinking from an empty cup...", textured by a sumptuous orchestral-richness. 'Dogs' paints a more meditative scene with a Jack Johnson-lightness and watercolour observations of "...the girl who does yoga..." with a home-spun beauty; and 'Grey Room' has a fireside-intimacy with gentleness in timbre - "...have I still got you to be my open door...".The album closes with 'Sleep Don't Weep' and couples with Lisa Hannigan for support, revisiting 'Blower's Daughter' for a lovesong with universality, "...think I found a place where I feel I belong...sleep/ don't weep/ my sweet...", comforted into stillness. "Beauty is truth, truth beauty, - that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know." In '9' Damien Rice has crafted a masterpiece, period. In all likelihood it will be found to have the longevity and gravity of Jeff Buckley's 'Grace' and Dylan's 'Highway 61 Revisited'. '9' has arresting and earth-halting properties yet feels like you've been on a journey - the combinations of Damien's voice, songwriting and arrangements possess a power and spirituality with torrents of expressed-emotion and musical prowess that make him one of (if not) the most important living singer-songwriters at work today. __________________ Easy to think when you are young how you are going to change the world. Not so easy to see how the world is going to change you. ---- Conrado De Quiros

10-26-2006, 05:33 PM	#2
julia Eskimo Yogi.. Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Portland Girl! Posts: 1,078	wow what a wonderful review. I loved reading it. Thanks for posting.. __________________ "There's something magical about music and the simple fact that it's a vibration of air. It's sort of magical if you vibrate the air in a certain way, people are pleased by it." Damien Rice Last edited by julia; 10-26-2006 at 08:35 PM.

10-26-2006, 09:48 PM	#4
administrator forum administrator Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 2,480	thanks for sharing that much better than the digital spy review (http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/article/ds38491.html) __________________ Keep checking the news page for all the latest Damien Rice news.

10-26-2006, 08:29 PM	#3
Dangana Eskimo Friend Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 68	It's a great review because the writer understands Damien's music and his passion for baring his soul to all of us through his songs.