“One” by Damien Rice (thanks Amanda!)

My copy cat choice for this weeks blog is “One” performed by Damien Rice. For our last blog Amanda had chosen his song “9 Crimes” and it was the first time I had had the chance to hear his music, I was totally enthralled. Needless to say I was excited at the opportunity provided by this weeks blog topic to check out more of his work. “One” is a cover of a U2 song originally released in 1991 on their Achtung Baby album. The original version is more of a rock and roll song, it has a soft backbeat with a strong instrumental presence and is a version I also really enjoy. Damien Rice’s version takes away all of the instruments except for the guitar which effectively changes the genre of the song from rock and roll to a more folk sound. He sings in a lower key than Bono and with the more simple instrumentation and slower tempo it is a great platform for his voice which has a rich and slightly throaty timbre to its sound. For anyone who has not had the chance to listen to any of his music but enjoys beautiful soulful compositions and interpretations I would recommend “One” any day.

I agree with Amanda that Damien Rice and his music do not fall into the typical folk music genre although this song does contain the elements mentioned such as thoughtful beautiful lyrics and acoustic instrumentation. I picked this song because besides enjoying the beautiful voice of Damien Rice I love finding covers of songs which turn out to be just as moving as the original version but bring a completely new interpretation and sound that is fresh and interesting. I feel like Damien Rice accomplishes this with “One” and I’m looking forward to exploring more of what he has to offer!