Listen to the acoustic sound of Rice

There’s a Magnetic Fields lyric that pretty much summarizes the tragedy of the… There’s a Magnetic Fields lyric that pretty much summarizes the tragedy of the singer-songwriter: “Acoustic Guitar/I could sell you tomorrow/Just bring me back my girl.” OK, maybe it’s slightly more complicated than that, but the truth remains that sad, grown-up men have been taking their emotional turmoil out on their acoustic guitars for quite some time now.

There must be something that draws people to such pure melancholy. Perhaps it’s an acute sense that the performer is more bummed out than the audience. More likely, it’s the intimate bond created among the audience, the performer and that damn guitar – the innate happiness in sharing one’s despair with others.

This is Damien Rice’s skill. His passionate delivery, simplistic songwriting and, no doubt, his big broken heart have pushed him to the forefront of a sea of recent sad-eyed troubadours. It doesn’t hurt that everyone from Newsweek to the Boston Globe to your mom’s best friend seems to adore his debut album O, on which Rice’s whispery croon and delicate strum are bolstered by composer David Arnold’s (see: Bjork) orchestration.

The Dublin-born musician first became acquainted with Arnold while he was playing with a band called Juniper, but it wasn’t until after Rice had left the band and spent a year basking on the streets of Europe that the two finally got together to record the songs that would make up his debut album.

By mid-2002, Rice had become a huge success in the UK, as his album soared to double-platinum status in almost no time and his performances sold out some of the biggest venues in the country.

Now that Rice’s popularity has officially spilled into North America, more and more people are becoming enraptured by his intimate songwriting style and raspy vocals, which have earned him comparisons to the likes of Jeff Buckley, Ryan Adams and even Thom Yorke.

Rice’s gig at Club Cafe on Tuesday will be yet another in a series of sold-out American performances for the up-and-coming artist. Hopefully, you already have your tickets.

Damien Rice will play at Club Cafe on Tues., Sept. 16 at 7:30 p.m. Advance tickets are sold out, but a limited amount are still available at the door for $14. Call (412) 431-4950 for more information.