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O - Damien Rice
Metascore
80 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
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  1. Entertainment Weekly
    100
    Rice is both vulnerable and seductive. [18 Jul 2003, p.76]
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  2. E! Online
    100
    Minimalist folk rock in its purest form.
  3. All Music Guide
    90
    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.
  4. Amazon.com
    90
    Lush, impossibly mature.
  5. Mojo
    80
    Rice establishes an extraordinary intimacy here. [Oct 2003, p.107]
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  6. Blender
    80
    This free-wheeling debut has the potential to run and run, carried aloft on the shoulders of the overly emotional. [#18, p.131]
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  7. The Guardian
    80
    Rice's personality and deft songwriting hoist him above the mass of bedsit mumblers.
  8. ShakingThrough.net
    80
    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.
  9. PopMatters
    80
    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.
  10. Junkmedia
    75
    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.
  11. Uncut
    70
    His folky, cello-soaked songs will appeal to David Gray devotees. [Oct 2003, p.116]
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  12. Rolling Stone
    70
    Songs that, for all their quietness, leave a dark, lasting impression.
  13. Spin
    67
    His single, "Cannonball," will be there for you after your next breakup. [Nov 2003, p.117]
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  14. Stylus Magazine
    60
    You can actually hear the moment when the album turns sour.
  15. CultureDose.net
    60
    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.
  16. Pitchfork
    54
    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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User Reviews

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User Score
9.1 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 67 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 42 out of 46
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 46
  3. Negative: 2 out of 46
  1. Ricko
    10
    Spectacular debut from the Irish troubadour. Tracks 1-6 are beautifully delicate love songs that are just the soundtrack to falling/being blindly in love. Things turn bitter and dark on Cheers Darling which is one of the highlights for me. I Remember is a good snapshot of what this album is all about - soft, gentle and adoring on one side, angry, bitter and jilted on the other. Lisa Hannigan's vocals compliment Rice fantastically throughout and their harmonies and arrangements are the soul of the record. Eskimo brings things to an operatic end - absolute genius. If you take that to be the end of the album then it's perfect. I'm not sure how much value the hidden tracks Prague and Silent Night add to the record. Prague gives a taste of what was to come on his follow up 9 and Silent Night is just a showcase of Hanigans solo vocals.… Full Review »
  2. TheDaveHimself
    10
    One of the greatest debuts (and albums) to come around in a very long time. Any positive word directed towards this won't do it a bit of justice. I saw Damien and the Frames in Kansas City on this tour. I was speechless.… Full Review »
  3. rubye.
    10
    A stunning and seductive album, the most beautiful I own.
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