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Damien Rice is one of those artists I heard by chance in a CD store. Based on the one song I heard, I decided to by his album O. I'm glad I did. This album is wonderful. In many ways, including the interesting use of open arrangements that leave a lot of empty space, it reminds me a lot of Rice's compatriot Van Morrison's Astral Weeks - now that's got to be quite a compliment!

Most of the album features singer/songwriter Rice's vocals and guitar. There's also bass, cello, drums, piano and a wide variety of other instruments. The arrangements vary, keeping a consistent album interesting. One of the highlights is the vocals of Lisa Hannigan - she adds depth, spark and gloss - providing the final polish for an album that would probably be very good without her. Her singing on Cold Water is inspirational.

I love the fact that this album was written, independently recorded and produced by Damien Rice (apart from small exceptions). He obviously has a unique musical vision, and it is impressive that he was able to produce such a high quality album without having to hand over control to someone else.

I think I'll buy Damien Rice's next album when it is released.