When Dubliner Rice emerged in 2002, he seemed like another troubadour cast in the confessional mould of David Gray. But debut O, a platinum seller, revealed an idiosyncratic talent whose sexually explicit lyrics and visceral delivery marked him out from the acoustic herd. B-Sides features live recordings, unplugged versions and demos that show Rice at his stripped-down best, recalling Lou Reed’s savagery on “Woman Like A Man” and Tim Buckley on “Moody Mooday”. Roll on his second album proper next year.
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