#1 - Phil

Damien Rice

O

2003

So here it is – my #1 Album of the Decade! And for those of you keeping track at home, yes, this is the NINTH album from 2003 to appear on my countdown, the greatest musical year of the last ten in my opinion. Damien Rice is an Irish singer-songwriter who got his break when he sent a demo to his second cousin, producer David Arnold, and impressed him so much that he bought Rice a mobile studio to record his debut album, O – the most tenderly beautiful collection of songs I’ve ever heard.

If one were to evaluate O’s production from a traditional standpoint, there could be lots of criticisms made. Rice’s vocals move from extreme ends of soft and harsh volumes, and the strings often come in quite jarringly. But for this album, it works astonishingly well. Rice has a really authentic and vulnerable voice; it’s not one you could hear in the background and not be distracted by. However, the passion of his voice gorgeously complements the powerful strings and percussions that enter his songs, creating intensely romantic pieces that seem as though Rice is sharing his most personal feelings with all who wish to listen.

I’m very much a person who stresses the “bookends” of albums, and so it’s no surprise that my two favorite songs on my favorite album this decade are the first and the last. The opener, “Delicate,” is the album’s most acoustic track, featuring just Rice’s vocals, his guitar, and an accompanying cello. It’s a beautiful song that any girl alive would wish her lover could write for her. The final track, “Eskimo” is my favorite closing song of all-time. Rice opens the song with a set of dark, introspective lines: “Tiredness fuels empty thoughts / I find myself disposed / Brightness fills empty space / In search of inspiration.” As strings enter, the song steadily grows to marvelously epic heights, culminated by an opera singer repeating the line “I miss my Eskimo friend.”

No album this decade has connected with, moved, or inspired me more than O has. And that is why it's the one I'm sharing with you all on this final day of the Rolling Fork countdown. Simply magnificent. -P.W.

Wow, it’s been a long time since I have listened to O. This was literally one of the first ten CDs I ever purchased once I got into the indie realm of music. So, this album definitely reminds me of the emotional highs and lows of a typical teenage high schooler. O is very melodramatic and a bit cheesy at times. But Damien Rice is, nonetheless, a talented song writer. Once again, I’m surprised this is being ranked so high amongst the decade’s best albums so I’m assuming this has some very special personal relevance for Phil. - Ryan

A deeply confessional and heartfelt record, "O" is a good album that suffers a bit from Rice's melodramatics. Aside from some of the intrusive string elements, I tend to forgive the overt sentimentality with melodies and songs as engaging and tender as these. The contemplative, gradual progressions of the songs give them a sense of space and grandeur that isn't easy to attain with such meager means. Worth checking out to at least understand a little piece of Phil. - Steve