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Minimalist folk rock in its purest form.
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You can actually hear the moment when the album turns sour.
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Lush, impossibly mature.
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Lucky for him, he has Lisa Hannigan on board on several tracks in this album--her breathtaking vocals almost manage to make this take of epic heartbreak to the backdrop of Irish lullabies worthwhile. Almost.
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With O, Rice has brought something new to the singer/songwriter genre: an accomplished sense of dramatics that keeps his music from ever becoming earthbound.
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Rice's personality and deft songwriting hoist him above the mass of bedsit mumblers.
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SpinHis single, "Cannonball," will be there for you after your next breakup. [Nov 2003, p.117]
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The big, inescapable problem with O is that, aside from being derivative, Rice's songwriting is also unbearably repetitive-- he stubbornly relies upon time-tested singer/songwriter formulas (quiet acoustic strumming and sober, wavering vocals), and repeats them almost exactly the same way, every time.
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A gifted, natural performer, Rice has had little problem connecting with audiences, filling O's quiet stretches with a likeable persona developed from his previous life busking on the streets of Europe.
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At times, Rice definitely over-emotes, leaving behind any sense of subtlety in his delivery. But at his best, on songs like "Volcano" and "The Blower's Daughter", he hits upon a perfect blend of warmth and expansiveness.
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UncutHis folky, cello-soaked songs will appeal to David Gray devotees. [Oct 2003, p.116]
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MojoRice establishes an extraordinary intimacy here. [Oct 2003, p.107]
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Entertainment WeeklyRice is both vulnerable and seductive. [18 Jul 2003, p.76]
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One long angelic hymn for an insane world with the intimacy of a friend playing guitar in your living room and the grandeur of Sigur Rós.
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Songs that, for all their quietness, leave a dark, lasting impression.
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BlenderThis free-wheeling debut has the potential to run and run, carried aloft on the shoulders of the overly emotional. [#18, p.131]
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 98 out of 108
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Mixed: 5 out of 108
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Negative: 5 out of 108
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Nov 18, 2014
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May 30, 2017
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Sep 21, 2014