Search - Damien Rice :: O (W/Dvd)

I am reviewing the Limited Edition CD/DVD sold for USD17.99

R. Ocampo | North America | 01/19/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Just to set the record straight. I have the CD/DVD Limited Edition and I am reviewing this as a whole - as presented according to it's price and the music contents.



Damien Rice is one of those singers with a distinctive voice. And when you listen to his music, you realize it is a perfect match. His music is classified as Folk. Some people go so far as stating his music his beyond genre, but that's just pushing it. I believe it is Alternative/Contemporary Folk.



If you bought this album, you obviously appreciate these kinds of music genre. If you've heard of him only because of the trailer from "Closer", that's exactly the kind of music you will get from the whole album. It isn't pop. And that's a good thing. I appreciate all kinds of music, but I am awed at artists from their respective genres who can create outstanding albums that separate it from the rest of the pack.



In this case, "o" is one of those instances. I don't really buy these kinds of music, but I gave notice at his album more than a year ago at Virgin Megastore when it was being sold for USD9.99. I gave a listen and couldn't put the headphones down.



For me, "Volcano" is still the best track in this album. It is here thaat you will give notice to the vocals of Lisa Hannigan and the cello by Vyvienne Long. "The Blower's Daughter", which was given notice due to the trailer of the movie "Closer". It is also the reason why the same album is now being sold for USD18.99 at most music stores and USD13.99 at Amazon. Anyway, as he sings until the end "...I can't take my mind off you..." he continues to say it until the very end like a person really in longing.



But from track 1 alone, "Delicate" you are instantly sucked in the world of the artist and you can feel the songs he and his fellow bandmates play. Go ahead and listen on and "Cannonball" is another great song.



Best to listen with professional studio monitor speakers and/or quality headphones like Sennheiser brands. Why? So you can hear the subtelty of the instruments and vocals.



All in all the content (songs) is rated 5 STARS out of 5.



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DVD



Now on to the whole price and packaging Limited Edition label. That's the reason why it's rated 3 stars. Why sell it at that price? The DVD doesn't contain anything except 3 videos from AOL sessions - "Cannonball", "The Blower's Daughter" and "Volcano".



The videos are shot perfectly, just like the songs. It is in black and white and recorded live. The three most important people in the album are the only ones playing - Damien Rice, vocals and guitar; Lisa Hannigan, vocals; Vyvienne Long, cello.



Most people will not notice it, but the compression of the videos aren't that good as it seems. There are artifacting. For a DVD with only three video contents, they could have processed this at a higher bit rate. The space is there on the disc already, why waste it.



I would also appreciate if this was processed in DTS (doesn't have to be surround sound), but that would allow a higher audio quality than the Dolby 2.0 it was compressed in.



The DVD contents size is 788.1MB out of a possible 4.7GB for one side. You get the idea.



Also on the disc, when you click on the web site link it will tell you that there "contains a ROM section with links to more information and content...simply insert the disc into the DVD-ROM drive, open the ROM folder and double-click the weblink.html file." So I did. I clicked on the html file and it opened my browser and brought me to the web page of the artist. Huh? That's it. No special link or feature to say "thanks for buying this more expensive edition." None. It's just one small html file to bring me to his front web page. Why not just tell me in the first place to go to www.damienrice.com. It's as easy as that than going to the ROM folder and opening the file and...It just makes the buyer feel stupid. You don't need to treat us like that. We know a special feature when we see one. And this isn't one of them.



The DVD rating is 1 STAR out of 5. This, and the ridiculous pricing, is the reason why this whole so-called limited edition package is only 3 STARS.



Yes, the DVD packaging is cool. It is definitely apart from the plastic CD cases on shelves. The cover has a nice texture and it looks like a small photo album. Inside are a few pages of original artwork illustrations with hand-written lyrics that I can't barely read. On the last page b+w photos in thumbnail sizes - best to be kept for the bandmates to enjoy.



The CD and DVD, disappointingly is packaged and STUFFED in one normal white envelope. After all this great packaging, they finally run out of ideas and just paste the envelope in the end page and and put a white divider (the same material as the envelope) to separate the CD and DVD. So thanks to that ingenious packaging, you have to carefully remove either one unless you are like the rest who just grabs a CD/DVD by your fingers and oil the whole playing side. And then you wonder why there are scratches and skips after a while. Hmm.



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The DVD should be given free for Heaven's sake! There is nothing special or limited about it that it doesn't deserve the price. There are tons of albums with included DVDs already and they have the audacity to sell this for USD4.50 more. To think the original price of this Limited Edition is USD21.98. Imagine that if it was actually sold at that price level. Gosh.



For the sake of fans and people who want to discover the artist, scrap the normal album and sell this at the lowest price possible.



The videos can be downloaded and viewed online. So don't waste your money unless you are into limited editions. You don't need the DVD to enjoy all the great songs available either way. Buy the cheaper album which contains the exact songs and enjoy the music the artist has to offer then come back and rate it 5 STARS.



Hope this helps."

A four-star CD, and the DVD makes it five-plus-stars.

L. Barden | Oakland, CA United States | 05/17/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is an excellent record. Like others, I too find Rice to be reminiscent of David Gray, mainly of Gray's earliest recordings. I'd actually describe this record as David Gray meets Tom Waits, with a more ethereal tone than either of those artists. Rice has an unabashed emotional/sentimental streak (like Gray, and Waits as well, I suppose), and the production reminds me Waits' organic "clanky" style, similar to Waits' work on "Mule Variations" (in fact, both CDs have a track entitled "Cold Water....coincidence? Probably).But there are plenty of other reviews of the CD. I want to talk about the DVD. Is it worth spending an extra three or four or five bucks to get the "Limited Edition w/ DVD" version of this record? In a word, yes. In five words, yes-yes-yes-yes-yes.The DVD contains three video tracks, with Rice performing with vocalist Lisa Hannigan and cellist Vyvienne Long. The songs are filmed in black-and-white, in a studio, and are alternate "stripped-down" versions of "Cannonball," "The Blower's Daughter," and "Volcano." The quality of the videos is excellent, the sound is superb, and I actually prefer the sort of live, unplugged sound of these tracks over the album versions. If you're any kind of a Damien Rice fan, this DVD is a must-have addition to your collection."

I would go gay...just for damien.

Thew | NJ | 11/11/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"this cd is magnificent.. in fact just about any song this man recorded is brilliant. People complain about the underproduction and siplicity of the album, but if those are your comments on the album then obviously you misunderstood thats what mr. rice was going for.. the story behind damien rice is like a fairy tale, his wishes not to exploit his cd is apparent in the cds lack in over production and stripped down sound... each song has its own sort of story behind it and my favorite would have to be cheers darlin. The story behind this song is Damien was at a bar flirting with a woman all evening and at the end of the evening she simply calls her boyfriend.. after getting home drunk damien sets up his microphone and records just about all of the song in a couple hours making most up as he goes along, from the vocals, to the chords, to the clanking of the glasses in the backround, and delivered a masterpiece. You can even tell in the singers voice he is yet to sober up. Mr. Rice's voice is very sincere and sometimes shows hints of his irish accent. The reviewers who criticized his voice must be out of his mind, i dont know what kind of voice they expect to go along with this great emotional music. he sometimes gets off the beat of his guitar to complete his thoughts but why should he not? just because this isnt an artist thats willing to take out his own creativity to make something radio friendly does not make him any less of an artist.

in his next album damien plans to implement the full band he travels with and make a louder sounding cd, i personally liked the softer acoutic side but as apparent on rare tracks like woman like a man, damien can make some electric gems too.



the dvd is worthwile if your a damien rice fan, if you dont like him as much then obviosly buy the cd without the dvd to save yourself from complaining. I also recommend the B-sides cd for some good rarities from Damien."