Rice's 'Fantasy' is a lovely reality

Damien Rice, "My Favourite Faded Fantasy" (Warner)

Irish singer-songwriter Damien Rice says the creative process behind his third studio album "My Favourite Faded Fantasy" was so good that occasionally he didn't want it to end. Thankfully it did, because now we get to enjoy a well-crafted work with few holes.

Rice's emotive voice and signature solid guitar work are a known quantity. Those talents are coupled here with carefully optimistic songs about life and love. There's a touch of humor thrown in the mix, but not so much as to detract from pressing matters of the heart. The best moments come with back-to-back tearjerkers "I Don't Want To Change You" and "Colour Me In." They're beautiful tracks with winsome guitar that is eventually swallowed up by a massive string section.

The songs are long, with the lovely "Trusty And True" weighing in at eight minutes, nine seconds. Savor every second because talents as pure as Damien Rice don't come along every other Tuesday. His musical aim on "My Favourite Faded Fantasy" is true, and the songwriting is some of the year's best.