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.