Damien Rice — O

This sucker has been available on import (and as an indie) for months and has already received heaps of critical praise (earlier this year the Irish singer-songwriter won the prestigious Short List Prize) and has also suffered a backlash. Naysayers point to Rice’s obvious affection for Jeff Buckley and over-sentimentality, but damn it, I can take emotional manipulation when a record is this moving.

O’s 10 songs are immediate and powerful, gently played with acoustic guitar and strings surrounding Rice’s almost-broken voice. Half of the tracks are so instantly familiar that they sound like covers; call them derivative or call them classic, they’re nearly enough to move you to tears. This is a beautiful record for hopeless romantics and dreamers — don’t let the cynics tell you otherwise.

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