Music Review: Damien Rice

Source:

Blogcritics

Language:

English

Tag/Category:

music

Domain:

blogcritics.org

More feeds from blogcritics.org:

Music Review: Damien Rice - 9

15th Nov 2006, 06:44 GMT

When you're trying to follow up a successful debut, there are generally two routes you can go. The first is to stick with what works. Cause if it ain't broke, you probably won't be either. Hopefully you can innovate just enough to keep it from being just more of the same. The second strategy is to "explore" and "try something new." That's all well and good, but there is a history of fans not being interested in following whims and experiments. Fortunately, Damien Rice has decided to go with the first approach for the most part, while throwing in a dash of the second, just enough to keep things interesting. Damien's new record, 9, treads similar sonic territory to O, in that it's largely slower and more stripped-down acoustic singer-songwriter fare, interspersed with songs of thicker dynamic texture. For those who have seen him live, the range of emotion he sometimes captures in a single song can almost be all-inclusive. Songs from the stage frequently begin at a whisper and crescendo upwards to a point just before the whole thing would crash and fall apart. This was captured to a lesser degree on O, but you could still got a sense of what could happen. On 9, the dynamics have been reigned in just a bit more. There are less whispery moments. But there are also more aggressive moments. Overall, it's a bit more judiciously balanced, but the emotion is still there. The album starts with "9 Crimes," which falls somewhere in between "The Blower's Daughter" and "Cannonball" from O. It also displays that the concept of the band has been solidified a little more, perhaps simply due to keeping the same group of players around. The cohesiveness of the members' roles seems to be part of what keeps 9 more focused. There are two duet songs (the single "9 Crimes" is one), and generous inclusions of cello, strings and backup vocals round out the mix. On tracks such as "The Animals Were Gone" and the closing "Sleep Don't Weep," you get the sense that the gentle dirge of acoustic wordplay is traveling. Songs are no longer islands to themselves but they're minstrel companions. It's not thematic, there's no over-arching story, but the tracks mirror the performers,and become a troupe of like-minded partners and sojourners. A more striking, and perhaps more interesting, aspect to the new album is the inclusion of a couple songs with a bit more testosterone rock to them. "Rootless Tree," which shall henceforth be known as the "Fuck You" song, takes a bitter lyric and tosses it angrily against the wall. "Me, My Yoke & I" doesn't inhabit the same lyrical space, but it ramps up the energy another notch and gives us the best example so far of Damien just rocking out. Metal! So is 9 as good as or better than O? Well... that's kind of a silly question. It's a solid record. It's a quality record. But it's not O. And that's a good thing, in my opinion. It will sound just familiar enough to soothe fans seeking the vibe of the first record, but these are unique songs that grow and develop on their own. There's a difference between sticking with your sound and just remaking an album that was fine the first time around. 9 shows that Damien Rice has matured and become more confident with his approach to an album, while at the same time not falling off the cliffs of delusional mavericks. There are enough musicians lying in that ditch, so it's nice to instead follow the ones who have made it around the curve and over to the other side. Progress is continually learning how to just be yourself.

View full story at blogcritics.org

FeedsFarm.com > Music Review: Damien Rice - 9