Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger (Lost Highway, 2007)

Since the release his outstanding debut solo album - Heartbreaker - in 2000, the standard of Ryan Adams' recorded output has fluctuated wildly. The release of the highly flawed Rock'N'Roll album in 2003 had even his strongest supporters scratching their heads in shocked bewilderment, while the two Love Is Hell mini-albums failed to hit their mark in the same year, despite some fantastic songs. It seemed Adams had turned a corner in 2005, when he released three albums in the same year - one of which was a double album - that were rooted in the high standard of songwriting that had been the trademark of his earlier work.
With this recent history in mind, it was with a mixture of excitement and trepidation - fairly common emotions among Adams' fans - that I slipped Easy Tiger into my stereo.
To my great delight/relief, the excellent opening track - Goodnight Rose (one of Adams' finest tunes) - immediately dispelled any concerns I may have had. On this album, Adams is firing on all cylinders and has delivered one of the finest albums of his career. Songs such as Two - on which he croons, "I've got a really good heart, I just can't catch a break", The Sun Also Sets, and Oh My God, Whatever, Etc. find Adams at his most vulnerable and are some of the albums strongest songs. Other highlights include the countrified soul of Tears of Gold, These Girls, and the album's closing track I Taught Myself How To Grow Old.
For fans of Ryan Adams, this album is an absolute must, for those who have been wondering where to start, Easy Tiger provides an excellent point to work backwards from.

Check Out: www.myspace.com/ryanadams - Listen to Two and These Girls

Sounds A Bit Like: Gram Parsons; knocking back a case of suds at your favorite dive bar; the sun breaking through the clouds.

Feist -The Reminder (Cherry Tree / Interscope, 2007)

Much like Broken Social Scene, the Canadian collective with whom she came to prominence, Leslie Feist defies easy genre categorization; though her ability to write perfect pop songs is undeniable. As displayed on her excellent release - The Reminder - Feist is adept at mixing things up from one song to the next; this talent being on display from the very beginning of the album, as she seemlessly moves from the jazz-inflected, pensive opening track, So Sorry, straight into the upbeat pop-gem that is I Feel It All.
The first thing that grabs you about Feist, though, is her amazing voice: husky, spunky & self-assured. The type of voice that breaks your heart and wraps you in a warm blanket simultaneously. Look no further than the beautiful lament that is The Park - one of the album's many highlights - to hear Feist's quiet vocal soar as she asks the question "Why would you think your boy could become, the man who could make you sure he was the one?"
The Reminder strikes the perfect balance between quiet introspection and joie de vivre pop playfulness - Past In Present with its accompanying hand-claps, 1234 and My Moon My Man are perfect examples of the latter.

Check Out: www.myspace.com/feist - listen to My Man My Moon and watch the very cool video for 1234

Sounds A Bit Like: Cat Power; Broken Social Scene; Paris in Springtime

Okkervil River - The Stage Names (Jagjaguwar, 2007)

The Stage Names - Okkervil River's fourth full-length release - is, without a doubt, one of the best albums to be released in 2007. It would be erroneous of me not to point out that this is the latest album from my favorite band on the planet, and that if you have not yet exposed yourself to their genius, you have done yourself a great disservice; however, even if I did not feel this way, even if I was evaluating this album objectively, I would still say that it is one of the year's best.
Okkervil River bring a level of emotion to their music that is almost intoxicating, particularly when you take into consideration the emotional vacuum that is much of modern living. Will Sheff - the band's songwriter and singer - paints vivid scenes with his lyrics, as the characters inhabiting his songs navigate their way through the realities of day-to-day living, with all of their flaws intact.
The songs on The Stage Name flow from the opening one-two punchiness of Our Live Is Not A Movie Or Maybe and the incandescent swagger of Unless It's Kicks, to the hushed, devastating beauty of Savannah Smiles and the sea-faring balladry of A Girl In Port.
While sounding completely modern, Okkervil River carry on a grand musical tradition that harks back to bands such as The Band, The Faces and The Beach Boys; a tradition that recognizes songwriting earnest in its attempt to transcend the everyday-ness of life. If you discover only one new band this year, let it be Okkervil River.

Check Out: www.myspace.com/okkervilriver ...where you can hear the entire album.