Irish singer-songwriter Damien Rice, the man who stole the hearts of millions of females with his debut O back in 2003, has returned with a proper follow-up titled 9. If you're the kind of listener who's hoping for more of the same, well Damien is here to make your day. Album opener "9 Crimes" is very reminiscent of the beautiful "Volcano" off of O right down to the cello parts and the Lisa Hannigan guest vocals. The next two tracks, "The Animals Were Gone" and "Elephant" are sad and quiet weepies just the same.

Not all of 9 is just a simple rehash of O however. Some of it is good, such as the Dylan-esque folk rambler "Coconut Tree." A few tracks however are downright misguided, such as the profanity-laced chorus of "Rootless Tree" that feels terribly out of place, or Rice's attempt at a Rock song in "Me, My Yoke + I" which grates the nerves with his shrill vocal delivery. But other than those few missteps, Rice has delivered a serviceable sophomore release that's sure to please fans and may even rope in a few new ones that he missed the first go round.