Damien Rice - New Favorite Artist

Chuck — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 04:31:00 -0500

I went to my second Damien Rice concert earlier this month in Oakland. It was a completely amazing and brilliant show. Damien is now my favorite musician overtaking Ray LaMontagne. Sorry Ray, I still love your music but the live show is missing something without CT (bassist) and the string section. So for now, Damien is #1.

For those unfamiliar with Damien Rice, he’s an Irish singer/songwriter in the folk rock genre. His 2002 debut album, O, was critically acclaimed. The follow-up album, 9, was released this past November. The critics aren’t bestowing the same praise for 9 as they did on O but nonetheless, I still think it’s a very good album.

Beyond Damien’s talent, the beautiful voice of vocalist, Lisa Hannigan, and the haunting melodies of cellist, Vyvienne Long, make me love Damien’s music. During the Oakland show, the band did an amazing rendition of Dylan’s All Along the Watchtower. Imagine a rendition based primarily on an acoustic guitar, a cello and drums. I was in awe after the song.

Take a listen to the two videos below and judge for yourself. The first video is a new song off of 9, called Elephant. The second video shows a short interview and a couple of live songs from 9. Damien Rice live is a must see concert. But if you can’t get to a show, download live shows via BitTorrent. IMHO, the El Rey Theatre performance is better. I just hope someone recorded the December 6th show in Oakland!

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Damien Rice - New Favorite Artist