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My favourite album int he history of music, Damien Rice - O was released 1 Feb 2002, so just turned 20 this week! It's an album that really changed my life, my favourite album ever, Damien put all of my explosive emotions as a young adult into words. Mostly I could identify myself so much with all he was singing about, the album is about growing up and not knowing what to do, about the urgency of sex, relationships and f***ing up relationships, jealousy etc but all very relatable. And especially if you not only look at the album tracks but also at the many b-sides and unreleased songs from the same era, which tell more of the same story (The Professor, Insane, Then Go, Lonelily, etc)...

Most songs were recorded at home, and you can feel the intimacy in the recording, Damien voice sounds incredible and it feels like he's in the room with you, specially when you play the vinyl. In the album there are in reality three voices, Damien, then there is Lisa Hannigan who sings a few songs as duets with Damien plus backing vocals and then there is the cello of Vyvienne Long which is almost like a third voice.

One of the few albums in which I love every single song so did a mini review of each song...

Delicate
Perfect song to start the album, a song about when you meet someone and start something but you still haven't told anyone so it's all secret. Always thought it depicts the relationship between Damien and Lisa and how it started. Always felt like the verses and the chorus are almost two different songs though, cos the verses are very sweet, but the chorus is more bitter asking her why does he sing with him. The song is quite popular as it's been featured in many shows and movies, was featured in Lost and recently in a key scene in Money Heist/La Casa de Papel.

Volcano
A very old Damien song, he wrote it while he still was with his old band Juniper. A song about when two people want different things in a relationship and how quickly that can change too. In the first part of the song, it's like he mets a girl and she wants something serious but he just wants fun, but then in the second half of the song it's the opposite, he is the one that totally falls for a girl and wants something serious. Song has been covered many times including one contestant in XFactor US and even Ed Sheeran has done it live. Bun nobody does it like Damien and Lisa, the song works really well as a duet and their harmonies at the end are incredible. When Damien plays it live, the song is huge and usually he involves the audience by either inviting people on stage or dividing the audience in groups an having them sing different parts like a choir.

The blower's daughter
The album's first single and one of the more recognisable Damien song, which many know from being included in the movie Closer. A very romantic song about falling in love with his clarinet teacher's daughter (hence the name), it's very romantic overall but has a twist in the end as he sings "can't get my out out of you... til I find somebody new".

Cannonball
Possibly his most popular song, sure in the UK at least, mostly cos of that Little Mix cover. A song about falling in love and still being totally enamoured with that person. In the chorus he lists all those opposites and he's explained it like for instance the line "love taught me to lie" is that when you're in a relationship you end up telling all this (whit) lies... also like a lot the last sentence of the song "it's not hard to grow, when you know that you just don't know"... about how you can only truly learn if you accept that we know nothing. In concert he usually plays this acappella and without a microphone.

Older chests
Possibly the only song in the album not about himself. Instead about change, old things vs. new things, and not appreciating what we have around. He's mentioned in gigs how the song is about how cities have these beautiful old buildings that stand for centuries but people keep building these ugly new buildings. Damien wrote this song about a crappy apartment his friend had. He was looking at a shelf that so full with books that it was falling apart. Then the song goes into how we don't appreciate anything anymore. We own all these things and don't even appreciate what we have.

Amie
Beautiful song about change and asking for a sign, for a change. Quite old song written during his Juniper days and originally titled Spaceship. Was written in the late 90s, hence why he talks about the end of the century. In concert he always tells a long funny story about going to visit his friend Amie cos he was depressed, then she cheered him up and told him to stay and look at the stars and ask for a sign.

Cheers darlin'
A song about jealousy. For years this used to be the final song in the set and was telling the longest funniest story ever, usually bringing a girl from the audience and drinking wine with her on stage. In the story he was telling, a guy bumps into a girl, knocks her over and then invites her for a drink. They go to a pub, start drinking and have drink after drink and they kinda like each other and you know the elbows touch and then they realise they come from the same village and he's starting to imagine they are gonna spend the night together. Then he realises they've missed the last bus home and he tells her and she replies "oh no no my boyfriend is picking me up at midnight"...

Cold water
A song about how when you're down and depressed and in a limit situation, then you turn to God for help. Very simple lyrics ("Cold water surrounds me now/and all I got is your hand/God can you hear me/or am I Lost?") but powerful and beautiful, and the song works perfectly as a duet. He used to do the song live as a medley with Cohen's Hallelujah, which was great.

I Remember
The album highlight for me, great duet, which is almost like two songs in one. The first part is the happy part, they meet and like each other and everything is nice, then the second part she dumps him and the song turns angry. The second part is pure testosterone and my favourite part is when he sings "I wanna hear if you're gonna live without me". This is also a very olf song from the Juniper days originally called "I remember december", and a song he had written and forgotten about it, until one day Lisa heard it and kinda stole it. The song is amazing live, very rock and roll.

Eskimo
Perfect ending of the album with a sweet little song, quite positive and inspiring. Again old song from the Juniper days. The label locked Damien in a house to write hits, and as a sorta reply he wrote Eskimo. The song hasn't have the strongest bestest lyrics but it's got an overall sense of friendship that works for me.

(sorry for the long post)