Stark Contrast to 0
Damien Rice's sophomore album is a stark contrast to 0. Whereas 0 featured soft lyrics and light melodies, 9 features faster beats and lyrics, including my favorite, "Rootless Tree" which has the F word frequently.

Unlike 0, 9 demands your attention and doesn't let it go until the last second of the last song. I strongly suggest this CD to everyone who likes Damien Rice and even those who don't.

It's not easy to fill big shoes...
Damien Rice set the bar ridiculously high with his 2004 release, O. On his debut, there was incredible production and amazing sounds coming out of every track. While the follow up to O, also a single character title, 9, is a solid album, fans expecting the artistic saturation found on O will be somewhat disappointed. While Damien Rice's song writing is solid, his voice is great and the lyrics provide good images, we don't get anything like the backwards singing on "Cold Water," or the clinking glasses on the drunken "Cheers, Darling," or the raw emotion so direly expressed in "The Blower's Daughter" or "I Remember" or the Sweedish opera singing on "Eskimo." Instead we hear Rice producing an album that is more straight-ahead and with fewer layers. There's more electric instrumentation on this record as well, leaving fans thirsty for the acoustic tranquility of O as well. Don't get me wrong though, it's a pretty good album and if this were Rice's debut, it would probably score 4 stars or maybe even a 5. However, those of us wanting something equal to or greater than O will be a little confused by 9. It's still worth the money, but don't get your hopes up. Personally, I'll forgive Damien for a little sophomore slump and anxiously await his next release.

Not As Good
For me, this album wasn't packed with as much feeling as 'O' was, which was really, super disappointing. I was also excited about him releasing 'Me, My Yoke and I' but when I listened to it, it wasn't as full of energy as the live version I have of it. All in all, this album was a great disappointment with a few pick me up every three songs.

"9" might have made me suicidal
I am not a suicidal person. Never really occurred to me before.

Listening to "9" is an experience for me. I can't just listen to one track. There's a journey for me from start to finish.

From the first time I got home with "9" (I was studying in abroad when "O" was released and got it there, hadn't heard anything about 9 until I saw it in a store later) I was crushed by its power. Yes the lyrics are simple and often repetitive during a song, but combined with the music, they are powerful.

I've never though about suicide before, but somehow "9 Crimes" is erie enough to make me want to sit at my kitchen table with a handgun, my best bottle of whiskey and a glass, wearing an undershirt and hiding my head in the shadows. And then the misery passes and "The Animals Were Gone" and it's the recovery from the misery, a chance for something.

I've listened to this album in the dark with the whiskey and I've listened to it on an ipod riding through the midwest after an ice storm watching the dead ground as I was mesmerized by the torture of the music. The natural world, in my living room or the barren fields is emphasized by "Elephant" with it's chilling opening of "this has got to die."

The opening of the album crescendos to the cathartic "Rootless Tree", which may be the most poignant break up song of all time, before the salvation of "Dogs."

Although the album weakens some in the last half, it is still a terrific feat in my opinion.

If you ever needed a voice in the back of your head, buy this and listen to it enough...then it will be there.

I love Damien Rice's style
I'm just as happy with this CD as I am with his first one. I play both
of them all of the time. It's very easy and enjoyable to sing along with it.