A more striking, and perhaps more interesting, aspect to the new album is the inclusion of a couple songs with a bit more testosterone rock to them. "Rootless Tree," which shall henceforth be known as the "Fuck You" song, takes a bitter lyric and tosses it angrily against the wall. "Me, My Yoke & I" doesn't inhabit the same lyrical space, but it ramps up the energy another notch and gives us the best example so far of Damien just rocking out. Metal!

So is 9 as good as or better than O? Well... that's kind of a silly question. It's a solid record. It's a quality record. But it's not O. And that's a good thing, in my opinion. It will sound just familiar enough to soothe fans seeking the vibe of the first record, but these are unique songs that grow and develop on their own. There's a difference between sticking with your sound and just remaking an album that was fine the first time around. 9 shows that Damien Rice has matured and become more confident with his approach to an album, while at the same time not falling off the cliffs of delusional mavericks. There are enough musicians lying in that ditch, so it's nice to instead follow the ones who have made it around the curve and over to the other side. Progress is continually learning how to just be yourself.