Damien Rice
Live From the Union Chapel

THE REVIEW

Anyone who has seen the Irish singer live knows that in this setting, Damien Rice and his songs gain added value. This is thanks to arrangements and technical solutions capable of giving a new look to the already excellent tracks. The guitar loops played and then sent in a loop, the sometimes quirky instruments used by the artist, combined with his interpretative skills, have over the years created an intimate and fascinating show for the spectators' eyes and ears.

In this live performance, much of this is not seen. The reason is simple: although it was published in 2007, the album contains a performance that took place four years earlier, just after the release of the first LP "O", when we were evidently still far from future stylistic choices.

The various "Delicate", "Amie", and "The Blower's Daughter" are therefore presented in their beauty, almost identical to the original versions. Only "Volcano" deviates from this pattern, with violin and guitar building up and the voices of Damien and his partner Lisa Hannigan intertwining dramatically in the air.

It is precisely the latter who sometimes steals the scene, as in "Then Go", with that strong yet broken voice that will allow her in the future to write several works of interest in the folk field.

The audience seems to appreciate the performance of the two singers with shouts and applause at the beginning and end of the song, the only downsides being the absence of several pieces in the setlist and the consequent cut between one track and the next.

It's a pity because it would have been a much more interesting operation.