Brutally honest and heartfelt, but also reassuringly real, Damien Rice returns with his first album since 2006’s acclaimed 9. Opening with the lush, orchestral title track, Rice eases into the album with breathy vocals over sparse instrumentation—primarily acoustic guitar and minimalist string—questioning love and life (“I could play the game/But it wouldn’t be the same”) before emotions boil over in full-band ecstasy. The continual tension in Rice’s voice, coupled with longing, desire and searing openness, supports the heft of each song’s masterful beauty that’s accentuated by producer Rick Rubin’s terse, but epic arrangements. The Irish singer’s lyrical strength and soul-searching release—whether subdued whispers, reflective mutterings or ascending falsettos—is never awash in the soft-to-soaring mix, which takes on added importance as this marks Rice’s first album without long-accompanying singer Lisa Hannigan. My Favourite Faded Fantasy is stunningly beautiful on multiple levels and is a very welcome return for Rice.