the blower's daughter

my happiest times come every time i go thru my entire cd collections to look for songs suitable for 2v1g, whether it is for gigs or albums. of course, i have to know whether my two "V"s can sing the songs well in the first place, this i will have to ask my singers' opinion.

i have a special place for damien rice's "o" album in my heart, not the least because of its beautiful haunting ballad "the blower's daughter" (check out the mp3 playlist). damien is a irish singer-songwriter who released the earth-shattering "o" album in 2003. the album is an acoustic gem and is considered as one of the best albums in 2003 by many. it is poetic, melancholic and yet full of hopes. if you have watched the movie "closer" starring jude law, julia roberts, natalie portman and clive owen then you will undoubtedly fall in love with the theme song "the blower's daughter". singapore's tanya chua recently did a live version of the song but her rendition is nowhere near the poetry of damien.

well, 5 years later, i still like the way "o" album sounds in my system. the recording is near audiophile standards. the guitar has a palpable presence. damien's vocals can come across as lonely, melancholic and eerie. the female backing vocals are superb but i was told she has left damien to do her solo album, what a shame for she makes damien's music so special.

if you are late into discovering this gem, don't hesitate, rush down to your nearest record shop!

p/s check out the youtube here for damien's playing live
p/s other non-chinese numbers we are doing for the gig include "getaran jiwa", "what a difference a day made" and "quando, quando".