Only Damien Rice's third studio album, 2014’s My Favourite Faded Fantasy took eight years to follow up the Irish singer/songwriter’s previous studio release, 9. It proves worth the wait. Though just eight songs, it wastes nothing. Rice smartly paired up with coproducer Rick Rubin, who added his own subtle Zen touches. The spare, emotional drive of the nine-minute-plus “It Takes a Lot to Know a Man,” the stringed intimacy of “The Greatest Bastard,” and the heart-wrenching “I Don’t Want to Change You” are peerless performances. Sessions ran from Los Angeles to Iceland, with Rice baring his private soul to the universe.