O

Another singer-songwriter effort that feels so much like the others. My listening habits focus pretty squarely on the instrumentals for a given LP, and while great lyrics can elevate a track to new heights, this album (and genre as a whole) treads so much of the same ground again and again. Give me an interesting chord progression, a wild timbre, something I’ve never heard before - just please don’t sing the same song about love and loss over the same thin guitar chords over and over again.

Fantastically sombre.

As an Irishman I feel like I’m betraying Damien by not rating him higher. It is a cover I see everywhere, but it’s quite samey and the lowkey vibe tires after a while. Couple of great tunes, love Cannonball.

Rating: 9/10 Best songs: Delicate, Volcano, The blower’s daughter, Cannonball, Cheers darlin’, Eskimo

Well played! I only remembered "Cannonball" from the radio when it was released, but the album as a whole is excellent.

Love it. It is a bit depressing but really wonderful.

The Blower’s Daughter has always been a favorite of mine. Something special here. The album is really nice….can make you feel a bit quiet, maybe depressed. But, i really liked listening to it.

This was really nice. Mellow and haunting. 4 stars.

Soothing music

Well that was nice 5 4

Sad man with a guitar. Heard a million like it.

Not too bad. A bit boring? But not unpleasant. Same kinda vibe as Tina Dico. But a guy. 3/5.

Rice rice baby

Going into the user submitted albums feels weird. I feel a need to be nicer as these albums probably hold a significant place in at least one person's heart. That said, I really disliked this album. At best it reminded me a little bit of Ryan Adams; at worst it was tedious, very sad sack which I generally don't like listening to these days, and I couldn't wait for it to be over. I debated a 1 but it did have some half decent moments to get it a 2. I just feel like I need some Prozac now.

The Blower's Daughter has soundtracked a lot of boring couples' first dances at beige weddings, I reckon. It does kinda blow, so you can't accuse him of false advertising? Cannonball was done better by Little Mix, and still wasn't great. Ultimately, I feel like Ed Sheeran sanded the rawness of this sound and ruined the 2010s.

Solid 5 stars. Damien's music goes straight to my heart. On all levels it works for me. The mood, the sombre atmosphere, and his attitude. Very difficult to comprehend, yet somehow very recognizable. This debut album has him collaborating with the brilliant Lisa Hannigan and their voices just blend so beautifully. One of my most memorable concert experiences was seeing Damien Rice playing a solo set on an outdoor stage in the evening, with rain pooring down. Just perfect.

A classic I've loved ever since I heard Delicate on an episode of Lost in 2004. I revisit this every few years.

Fantastic. Really loved it.

5 stars for Volcano alone. That track is pure, beautiful poetry. This is a very beautifully constructed album, and it had a huge impact at the time of its release. I do not routinely listen to Damien Rice, but I respect him, and I can appreciate how genuinely talented he is.

How is this not in the orginal list but David Grey was! Absolutely beautiful album, easy 5 stars.

Boy meets girl. Boy promises girl everything. Boy has a wandering eye, and boy fritters away girl's time. Girl marries man who won't waste her time. Boy crashes her wedding, regretting having wasted so much time. Girl still loves boy but moves on with her life. Boy snorts a lot of cocaine and follows her to Prague. The whole story told in beautiful folk songs featuring the lovely Lisa Hannigan.

Why wasn't this on the original list?! Good pick though. Funny how so many reviewers came upon this from TV and Film samples (mine was 'Blowers Daughter' in 'Closer'). There isn't a bad song on this album- so healing and soothing and sensitive. A thing of beauty.

Yeah now *here's* a worthy submission - an album that made more than a bit of noise out in the world back then, with even a few bars here and there played on the "Lost" island [get Hurley some more batteries]. For a mostly-acoustic album many/most of these songs have a tremendous build; well-written and constructed songs with perfect instrumentation and arrangements. In particular I love how the strings are used - not too much, but the perfect lead or simple accompaniment. I usually get a bit or quickly bored by albums of/in this genre; the sensitive solo singer-songwriter but something about this album has always hit me the right way. Love it. Very solid 9/10 5 stars. IMO: Belonged in the book? Yes.

Very pretty, and emotive enough to hold interest

some really pleasant indie rock, I really loved this :D 9/10

Ohh, yes. You had to be there, of course, but what I really like about this record is the little idiosyncracies that distinguishes it from other indie singer-songwriter of the time.

I remember taking this record home from the library, and ripping it to my iTunes to grow my music horde. Never actually listened to it, funny enough. It's beautiful. Sparse, but the vocals and instruments are chosen well. I like the woman singing and feel like she should get more credit for her appearances (her name is Lisa Hannigan, for what it's worth). It's an album I feel like I could give another spin to very shortly after finishing it. Favorite tracks: "Cannonball", "Delicate"

Irish AF. Loved these songs when i was at my most maudlin and affected, still love them now. Especially since im listening on an overcast day

Wow! Very nice album! Thanks for the recommendation

Excellent, sombre singer songwriter album. Songs start tiny, often with just acoustic guitar and vocals and then build, sometimes becoming massive, particularly the operatic closing minute of the album's final track, Eskimo. Volcano another highlight and I knew Cannonball off the radio. Really nice. Rating: 4 Playlist track: Cannonball Date listened: 20/11/24

Good songs, well put together. Superior “folk”.

Gave me Travis Wall memories from Season 2 of So You Think You Can Dance. Very nice.

It was nice and on the first listen there was one track that really stood out for me. When I went back to try and find it, nothing stood out in that same way...I am not sure what that means.

It was lovely.

I missed this album when it was released and am glad to have listened to it now.

Enjoyed the somber energy and vibe of these tracks. Blower's Daughter and I Remember were my favorites. Easy to listen to and appreciate.

First heard Cannonball when it came out. Such a pretty song. The rest of the album falls in the same vein. Soft, classical. His voice isn't overwhelming, and the accompanying instruments don't drown him out. Everything is laid out naked, without being able to hide anything.

I know there is always some discussion about Damien Rice his integrity. The lyrics are often somewhat depressing and emotional like a Elliott Smith ripoff without the street credibility. Then again the first four songs of this album are of excellent quality and the rest is not that bad either.

Quality.

I should like this more than I do. It's singer-songwriter stuff and I know many musicians I like have been influcned by him. Still it feels at times a little long. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Indifferent.

Touching songs 🕊️

April 17, 2025 Own this CD (bought it because it has "Cannonball", a song I learned from a busker in Galway) Listening to it for the 1st time today, though Mixed feelings about “Delicate” as an intro to the album; it’s aggressively gentle. But after the album ended, on the strange 3-part final track, I have to take off my hat to Mr. Rice (and also Ms Hannigan) for how the whole album is structured. Stable and melodic at first, but then more unpredictable as the relationship disintegrates.

Melancholic Celtic Singer-singwriter. Much preferably to Jack Johnson.

Wow I didn't expect this! Circa age 16 I was a very big Damien Rice fan and absolutely loved this album. I gradually phased out but listening again now, I still really enjoyed it and respect the music deeply, even if it wasn't something I'd reach for normally now. This was massive nostalgia for me and it's mad how many lyrics you can remember. Delicate is probably my favourite. But lots I loved

O is really good, even though it's not something that's usually my preference. It's just so well crafted and performed, a beautiful voice over sparse but detailed compositions, it just works so well. Cannonball, Amie, The Blower's Daughter all excellent, a strong 4/5 from me, miles better than some of the pretenders we've had in this genre.

Wow this was honestly like beautiful. Incredible music and lovely singing.

Asides from a few moments where this became repetitive, I rather enjoyed it. I might even listen to it again.

I love Damien Rice I think. Blower's daughter might be overplayed, but I'm really curious about the other ones. Gosh this album is sad. Still a 4 for the pleasure it gave me back in the day.

A lively piece of work with some great songs

Wasn’t expecting anything and I get slapped in the face with a magnum opus of heartbreak and remorse. I knew of Damien Rice’s name but I hadn’t listed to anything of his. More is the pity, to be sure, to be sure.

I’d forgotten about this artist. Great album when you want to chill.

Pretty solid for what it is. Always loved Cannonball. 3.5/5

I have never quite meshed with the vibe of this guy, though on paper the music mostly checks my boxes. I didn't dislike this at all but it never really grabbed me.

It’s hard to keep my attention for over an hour and this is another in that pile. Kept my blood pressure down though so that’s good. Somebody should check on this guy he has a lot of feelings

Dinner party music

A decent modern folk album that is a bit more somber. Overall it’s a well made album that has strong lyricism, and nice smooth guitar work. Rice has a very calming and emotional singing voice that really highlights the highs and lows of the lyricism of the songs. This was pretty nice. 6.7/10

Really lovely, melancholy music with expressive vocals. It loses me a little on the back half, and that extended final track was wholly unnecessary. Still, I enjoyed this quite a bit. Fave Songs: Cannonball, Volcano, The Blower's Daughter, Delicate, Older Chests

3 secret tracks on a 21-min track... You're losing stars, bro...

This guy sounds a lot like a lot of Jason Mraz. Nice singer songwriter stuff.

Yea, not bad.

Honestly got too high when I listened to this and don’t remember much of it. I vaguely recall the last song being really different from the rest of the album but that could also have just been whatever song came on after the album ended lol. It was alright, I think?

Pretty solid folk, singer/songwriter kind of album. Nothing spectacular that jumped out at me, but it goes down smooth.

Nice enough, bought it at the time I think but doesn’t stick now

With this kind of music I definitely need to be in a specific kind of mood to fully enjoy it. I think it was good. Not something I’d regularly listen to but it was a pleasant listen.

Cannonball is a great song. 7/10

Hurley puts this Damien Rice debut album in his portable CD player and presses "play". The first fragile notes of "Delicate" reach his ears as he watches the other survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 go on with their lives on the beach that has become their home. Until... the song suddenly stammers and then just abruptly stops. Battery power is dead. Now they are all truly in the wild. Boom. Episode end titles card. This moment from the series Lost -- still iconic for quite a few geeks out there -- unwittingly reveals something about the whole album incidentally featuring that song (which the TV producers thus chose to illustrate their scene). Damien Rice's melancholic songwriting is indeed *extremely* civilized, often to a fault. It's not fit for a crazy island with jungles, smoke monsters and a mysterious local cult living there. It's actually the total opposite of that: it's very polite, well-mannered craft, and musically speaking, it does not leave much room for anything other than the expression of sickly sweet emotions. Where's the scruffy poetry also usually associated with the overall folk genre? Where's the mystery? Where's the soulful drive? Case in point, the instantly memorable "The Blower's Daughter". It takes enormous talent to pen such an iconic love song (here's that word again), but the problem with this admittedly very memorable tune is that it dangerously straddles the fine line between universality and caricature. And where similar albeit less catchy cuts follow this one, you just can't help sensing the lack of... energy. I'm a sucker for slow melancholic songs, I really am. But you often need some extra spice to make them work. Otherwise, you risk coming off as a little bland and predictable. Once in a while Damien tries other things, I readily admit it -- as with the deep male backing vocals of "Cold Water", or the opera singer on the closer of "Eskimo". Unfortunately, those more off-kilter ingredients sound awkward and devoid of real stakes to my ears. Probably because such flourishes can't fix what's so "safe" in the songs proper. So all in all, what we have here is a respectable LP which probably deserved its success in 2002 (see my score out of 10 down there). Yet said LP doesn't really speak to me as a listener. Therefore, I can't see how I would choose it for my own potential list of keepers. Funny that one of the plots of Lost involves a list of people to "save", by the way. Which makes me consider the sorts of reviews Hurley could write in this app. Pretty sure that would be a very interesting list, with or without Damien Rice. 3/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums. 8/10 for more general purposes (5 + 3). Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ---- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 16 Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 28 Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 58 (including this one) ---- Émile ! J'ai répondu à ton message. Regarde environ 20 reviews au dessus ! Pas de nouvelle réponse de ta part, mais c'est pas un souci, je compte juste vérifier toutes les deux semaines environ. On est pas aux pièces, comme on dit sur le vieux continent

Painfully slow start but picks up quite a bit in the second half. It's not the most exciting folk rock or anything (especially when comparing it to the Jason Molina album I got yesterday), but I guess it gets the job done. Three outta five.

Not bad. I was never really into Damien Rice when he was big but I totally get why people loved him.

A nice enough singer songwriter album that I think gets a bit of stick due to the X Factor-fication of its big single Cannonball. It’s actually a quite lovely song when it’s not stripped back and given that John Lewis Christmas advert treatment, and the other lead single (The Blower’s Daughter) is even better. Ultimately it gets a bit lost in the middle and, while the penultimate track I Remember is really effective with its chaotic ending, the closer is a bit messy and anticlimactic

Hoo boy, this is sad guy music

This is another one of those albums that is not particularly my thing, but I can see why people like it. He has a beautiful voice, and he uses it really effectively. The music doesn't do a lot for me, but it's there to accompany him anyway 3/5

At first this seemed like a solid 3, that could be tipped up to a 4 on the strength of Cannonball. But I lost interest as it went on and it slipped into the background like a lot of the other 2000s folk albums on here.

Finstämt om än något tråkig.

This was fine. The operatic part on Eskimo was my favorite part.

Quality music, just not something I would ever put on. I can't remember the last time I was in the mood for music like this.

Folk, Rock: Singer Songwriter, Folk Rock. No lo recordaba yo tan aburrido.

Singer-songwriter albums often run the risk of being predictable, and while O manages to avoid some of the genre's common pitfalls, it doesn't entirely escape them. The album starts off nice with the addition of cello and 'Volcano' stands out as a personal highlight. However, as the album progresses, the arrangements begin to grate. On tracks like 'Amie,' the strings lose their subtlety and become overbearing. The lyrics also struggle to hold up under scrutiny; while they are delivered with undeniable passion, they often come across as simplistic rather than profound.

Entirely adequate

This is peak sensitive-man-of-the-90s music – one remembers hearing a lot of it in the day. It's almost unbearably earnest and self-serious, if authentically, exhibitionistically emotional, almost aggressively vulnerable, and insufferably intense at times. This is like Liltih Fair music for dudes, so bathetic it needs a cozy blanket (with trigger warnings printed all over it), album-oriented emo, with decent craft (the cellos are good, if overwrought, and Lisa Hannigan saves it from being too solipsistically all sad-boy, all the time). The "why say hallelujah/if it means nothin to ya" is a good line but peaks too early. The hidden cut at the end might have the best bit of all. Let's be clear – Nick Drake is an order of magnitude better and Elliott Smith is head and shoulders (at least) above, though one'll give the nod to DR over Ray LaMontagne. No need to add to list proper.

I thought it was music for a low mood, which can be fine for 2 or 3 songs that calm you down or endure the sadness, but a 50-minute album was too much for me.

Modern folk leaves me cold.

nice, type of music you forget you are listening to while listening to it 2.3

Folk, indie rock, acoustic rock. Rollo. Un 2.

I bought this album off the back of cannonball but it never quite hit the mark for me. Still doesn’t.

A nice singer songwriter album. Not sure I would have chosen this but someone did and that must mean something.

Nice enough

Fragile folk album, are you well? Did you drink enough water? What tragic event befell you? Much of this album is Damien Rice singing like a wounded dog while Lisa Hannigan actually carries the weight of a proper vocal performance. It feels like O really only kicks it into gear with I Remember, easily the most memorable and hard-hitting song while also succeeding 35 minutes of low-energy songs. Coupled with two (count 'em, 2) hidden songs after the "final" track Eskimo, I find my patience for this album wears pretty thin. The making of this album is a fairly impressive indie story, but I didn't care much beyond that. CONTENDER FOR THE LIST: I don't see why it should be.

Meh

Can something be so striking that it makes you stop what you are doing, but be so uninteresting that you completely forgot what you heard two minutes ago?

no

O fuck off already.

Folk, indie rock, acoustic rock. Rollo. Un 2.

Hieman tylsäkö mies-ja-kitara- levy. Näitä on ollut runsaasti ja parempina listalla aiemmin. 2/5

Almost heartfelt enough to overcome the glumness. Really pretty, The Blower's Daughter in particular catches the ear. But oof. Not a vibe I want to hang out in. A worthy share, but not for me, at least not today.

Just awful.

God I hate this warbling, indulgent, "soulful" stuff that is about as meaningful and pleasant as a dribble of dog piss down a lamppost. Sorry.

Sorry, but no

I remember finding this pretty dull back when it came out, and I was hoping that maybe with age I'd come to appreciate it more but sadly no dice. It's just kinda boring generic folk pop.