A long awaited album, “My Favourite Faded Fantasy,” is everything it should be to a Damien Rice fan.

The Irish singer-songwriter’s latest album doesn’t steer far from his previous works, despite the fact that it was released eight years after his second record, “9,” which featured unforgettable tracks like “Coconut Skins” and “9 Crimes.”

“My Favourite Faded Fantasy” is like reminiscing with an old friend. With only eight tracks, Rice stays true to his usual theme of love and life, expressing them in a way that is still “delicate” in his melancholic whispers and harmonies.

Taking a step from the lone guitar, the first two opening tracks, “My Favourite Faded Fantasy” and “It Takes A Lot To Know A Man” slip into dark piano melodies that transition to swelling violins, creating songs that are eerie just as much as they are beautiful.

Track three, “The Greatest Bastard,” (my favorite track on the album) takes you back down into the abyss of a slow acoustic guitar—classic Damien Rice—accompanied with dreary romantic lyrics and the kind of drowning heartache that you’re either a sucker for or can’t handle at all.

“I Don’t Want To Change You” and “Colour Me In” are other notable tracks that highlight Rice’s honest poetic quality.

Worth the wait, I give “My Favourite Faded Fantasy” 3.5 stars.