You know what’s nice? Leaving the country for a week and knowing damn well that your junk is in good hands. Er, we mean, your mess is properly handled. Dammit. Well, whatever…speaking of good hands, we’d like to take a moment to introduce you to the newest contributing brah, record industry insider Heavy D, who will irregularly be bringing Brahsome.com hot new music reviews. Sure, we’re all pretty knowledgeable about music, but D is to tunes what Boxy is to celebs, Fancypants is to Alaskan pipes and Stamos is to culturally irreverent drug photos. After the jump, enjoy his review of the currently unreleased (comes out Tuesday the 26th) new Ryan Adams album “Easy Tiger”.
Care To Get Nice?
“We” realize that Ryan Adams (and no, not that damn first real six string Canadian Bryan Adams) may not be on the radar for all the Brahsome.com readers, but he probably should be. He may very well be one of the most prolific and gifted songwriters of our generation…when he wants to be. Since leaving his band Whiskeytown behind and making his solo debut in 2000 with the absolutely essential Heartbreaker he has gone on to release 9 records in 7 years (3 of which were released in 2005; and did I mention one of those was a double disc?) This staggering number also fails to take into account the numerous bootlegs of unreleased studio recordings and demos circulating the internet. While his prodigious pace may be something to be admired by those who have ever been crippled by writers block, it has over the years produced somewhat of a mixed bag of releases ranging from the brilliant to the bizarre. Some people get bored and start a blog. Ryan Adams makes a new record, both for better or worse.
I’ve recently been listening to an advance copy of Easy Tiger, Adams’ 9th studio release. It’s pretty good, but I’m hesitant to be any more generous than that. I realize it’s somewhat unfair to judge an artist by past works and even more unfair to judge them on unrealized potential but that’s pretty much the story of Ryan Adams’ career, and this record does little to change that. While lyrically the record isn’t quite as concise as previous efforts, the musicality of it is great. At age 32 and with a year’s sobriety behind him, Ryan Adams, and band, The Cardinals, seem to have hit their collective stride. With songs that range from the Grateful Dead inspired “Goodnight Rose”, to the soulful folk of “Oh My God, Whatever, Etc”, to the mandolin and banjo saturated “Pearls on a String” there is something for everyone. So long as the listener isn’t put off by Ryan Adams’ usual themes of things falling apart or fading away with time. Overall, Easy Tiger is a good record that’s definitely worth a listen. It may be a little difficult for fans of Ryan Adams’ earlier material to warm up to, but no doubt fans old and new will at least find a couple tracks they can really enjoy.
Rating: 3/5
P.S. Adams and the Cardinals are hitting the road this summer in support of the record so be on the look out for a stop in a town near you.
–
Heavy D.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
While certainly no Heartbreaker, this new one is growing on me.
It’s hard with him, because, like you said, he’s not short on material so occasionally you have to wade thru a few songs to get to the great stuff.
Agreed Kigh, it grows.
I’m always amazed when I go back and shuffle “Ryan Adams” on my Ipod just how diverse all his shit is. You have stuff from the almost-Nevermind-esque “Note to Self Don’t Die” through the slower back-Magnolia-Mountain “Cold Roses” stuff.
Summer of ‘69 was a great song.