9 is the second studio album by Irish singer, songwriter and producer Damien Rice, released in 2006. The album was released on 3 November in Ireland, 6 November in the United Kingdom and 14 November in the US. It was followed by the single "9 Crimes", which was released on 27 November 2006. The record was certified gold in the UK.
[edit] Background
"Me, My Yoke + I" is a song about Rice himself, as an Irish-based Catholic teenager, discovering masturbation. At one of his concerts Rice gave this explanation: "There's this guy I knew who, when he was young, discovered this thing hanging out of his body. And one day he actually found out what to do with it. He used to feel so guilty about talking to this new friend of his that he used to donate money to charity. Until he got to the point where he didn't have any money to donate anymore."[citation needed]
"Elephant" was originally titled "The Blower's Daughter Part 2". "The Blower's Daughter" is a song on Rice's first album O.
[edit] Track listing
All songs written and composed by Damien Rice.
| 1. |
"9 Crimes" (Contains the hidden track "9 Crimes (Demo)" in the pregap to the first CD track. It is a rough demo of "9 Crimes" with all vocals by Rice.) |
3:39 |
| 2. |
"The Animals Were Gone" |
5:41 |
| 3. |
"Elephant" |
5:57 |
| 4. |
"Rootless Tree" |
4:22 |
| 5. |
"Dogs" |
4:11 |
| 6. |
"Coconut Skins" |
3:45 |
| 7. |
"Me, My Yoke + I" |
5:57 |
| 8. |
"Grey Room" |
5:43 |
| 9. |
"Accidental Babies" |
6:34 |
| 10. |
"Sleep Don't Weep" (The song ends with 16 minutes of wine glasses and a Tibetan singing bowl played by Rice.) |
21:54 |
| 11. |
"The Rat Within the Grain"" (Bonus track) |
2:54 |
[edit] Personnel
- Daisy – drawing, painting
- Shane Fitzsimons – bass, double bass
- Lisa Hannigan – backing vocals
- Vyvienne Long – cello
- Cora Venus Lunny – viola, violin
- Tom Osander – drums, glasses
- Damien Rice – clarinet, Fender Rhodes, guitar, percussion, piano, production, singing bowls, vocals, wurlitzer
- Joel Shearer – electric guitar
[edit] Critical reaction
The album was released to mixed critical and fan reaction. NME gave the album 4/10, describing it unflatteringly as "IKEA Rock". On the other hand, Hot Press said, "If Rice really was a nervous wounded-wing, there's no way he'd skirt as close to Nick Drake comparisons as he does on 'The Animals Are Gone'" and, in a reference to the 'noise' preceding the first track, "there's another noise that can be made out faintly but distinctly—the sound of the Grays, LaMontagnes, Johnsons and the Blunts of this world breaking their pencil tips on their jotters in sheer envy and frustration."
Both Mojo and Q gave the album 4/5, with the latter branding Rice very much in the positive as "The King Of Pain". The Sunday Times made it their 'Album of the Week'. It was People Magazine's Critic Choice in November 2006.
[edit] Sales chart performance
The album reached number 4 in the UK Albums Chart.[10] In the US, it was on the Billboard 200 for 10 weeks, peaking on its debut at #22.[citation needed]
[edit] References
[1]
