Damien Rice
9
British European four years is a dreadfully long time to wait for an album from anyone let alone a man renowned for his fierce independence who could no doubt make an acoustic guitar weep merely by stepping into an adjoining room but finally the longawaited follow up to the quietly inventive and universallyacclaimed 'o' arrives and those who have followed the evolution in his live act since 2002 may be surprised to hear that there is such a seamless transition between that album and '9' his sophomore record offers affirmation rather than progression but what a rewarding set it is regardless gradual considered and accomplished it's hard to contrast too intently with past work when each song demands such focused immersion from the listener full band pieces such as the perky and most conventional 'rootless tree' the rattled jeff buckleyesque riffing of 'me my yoke and i' and the eventual explosive climax of the brilliant radiohead style ballad 'elephant' are noticeably cohesive but his real strength remains alone with his broken weighty voice and soft tentative steps down his piano keyboard '9 crimes' and 'sleep don't weep' both enhanced by the angelic fortitude of vocalist lisa hannigan are immediate highlights and 'accidental babies' is heartbeatstealing in its lonely beauty the kind of private counsel you would happily wait years for
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Damien Rice
O