By Declan O’Kelly

Four years have passed since Damien Rice released O and the album became a sleeper hit for the singer/songwriter, selling over two million worldwide. Just as people began to fret as to when we would see some new material, Rice released his new offering 9 in early November and hardcore fans will not be disappointed.

For those unfamiliar with Rice’s material, his songs are emotion-strewn melancholic patterns that sweep you along the path of budding love (quickly) and straight onto breakups, broken hearts and busted dreams. Put another way, he wouldn’t feature on the kiddies party playlist (especially considering that 9 carries a parental advisory due to one chorus that contains graphic language). However, to fans that identified with Rice’s raw emotion, 9 picks up where O left off.

9 again features the magnificent, haunting vocals of Lisa Hannigan and my only criticism is that she doesn’t sing enough. The beautiful lead track, “9 crimes” only confirms what she brings to the album. In “The animals were gone” Rice talks about how when one is lucky enough to fall in love with somebody who actually reciprocates, they invariably make a mess of it.

“I love your depression and I love your double chin . . . waking up without you is like drinking from an empty cup.”

In “Accidental babies” his view is, well, a little more cynical. Questioning whether the new beau of a former lover is adequately equipped to fulfill all her needs he ponders, “Do you come together ever with him? Is he dark enough, enough to see your light? Do you brush your teeth before you kiss, do you miss my smell?” The song peaks with the plea “Do you really feel alive without me? If so, be free, if not, leave him for me, before one of us has accidental babies.”

For someone who bares his soul through his songs, Rice rarely interviews and is an immensely private person. Despite his reticence, his profile has risen considerably Stateside and he has become a frequent performer on late-night talk shows. More importantly from a marketing and exposure point of view is that songs from both albums have featured on shows like ER, Lost, House and most recently Grey’s Anatomy, all ratings winners whose use of his tugging-on-the-heartstring tunes can only boost his U.S. sales, and push the reluctant star further into the limelight.

But is the album worth checking out? The short answer is yes. On the whole, 9 confirms Rice’s reputation as a skilled songwriter whose work expresses the darker emotional side of falling in and crashing out of love.