(LOST HIGHWAY)
PR: Richard Wootton Publicity
This is another Ryan Adams & The Cardinals album, and the best yet. Clocking in around 40 minutes, it's also the shortest, but the most consistent. Some of the songs have been around for years. 'Off Broadway' first appeared on the unreleased 'Suicide Handbook' in 2001 and 'These Girls' used to be called 'Hey There Mrs. Lovely' and is even older.
The point is that while Adams has been a little short on quality control lately, with Easy Tiger it's as if he wants to show us that he can choose the right songs to create an album with a definite feel. The feel is of a comfortable, well-oiled band. 'Goodnight Rose' and 'Halloween Head' showcase the garage rock side of the Cardinals similar to 'Sweet Illusions' and it's a shame that side doesn't appear more. The rest of the album is all acoustic guitar and Adams reclaiming his crown as the 'Bummer King'. 'Two' is a beautiful lament with Sheryl Crow, 'Everybody Knows' has a great chorus about unrequited love and 'The Sun Also Sets' is a classic. While it's short on instantly gratifying hits, the songs reward repeated listens until you realise that this is his best album since Gold.
For fans of: Whiskeytown, Wilco, The Jayhawks
Rating: 4/5
Stream Easy Tiger
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