RYAN ADAMS

EASY TIGER

       The son of an English teacher, songwriter Ryan Adams had absorbed the work of writers such as Henry Miller, Hubert Selby Jr. and Sylvia Plath long before dropping out of school following his freshman year. After quitting a punk band – admitting that the vocals were Òtoo hard to singÓ – Adams formed Whiskeytown, the vehicle that put him on the worldwide music map at the tender age of 21. Somewhere between dropping out and becoming a critical darling, Adams started drinking. A lot. Then he started getting high. Really, really high, and on a daily basis.

           In an interview following his debut solo album, Heartbreaker, Adams claimed that he spent three hours per day working on his writing, singing and guitar skills, doing his best to focus on each facet of his trade equally – not exactly the work ethic of your typical lowlife. A decade and 10 official studio albums later (nine solo and one posthumous Whiskeytown record), Adams decided to sober up completely, along the way recording his latest album, Easy Tiger, said to be the first entirely sober recording of his career.

           At first blush Easy Tiger brings to mind AdamsÕ third solo album, Demolition, an album held back only by its doomed pseudo-compilation format. For what it was (a sampling of tracks from unreleased Adams albums), Demolition was good enough, but, parallel to the first impression Easy Tiger leaves, it didnÕt play through as seamlessly as AdamsÕ other releases. A student of album-oriented rock, Adams has always championedthe skill of pure album craft, and, while Easy Tiger might throw listeners at first, it eventually reveals itself as an even collection of short, concise songs that amount to the Americana croonerÕs most accessible, repeat-worthy record to date.

           Two songs, ÒOff BroadwayÓ and ÒThese GirlsÓ (previously known as ÒHey There Mrs. LovelyÓ), are longtime live favorites pulled from AdamsÕ extensive catalog of unreleased material, reworked here from their primitive foundations to fit AdamsÕ current brand of clean, affable songwriter rock. "Off Broadway," however, suffers a bit in the context of Easy Tiger, coming off as almost a buzzkill. AdamsÕ best song since Cold Roses, ÒEverybody Knows,Ó as well as ÒTwoÓ and ÒThe Sun Also SetsÓ are surefire selections for his impending six-disc greatest-hits collection, while ÒTwo Hearts,Ó a song Adams has been playing live now for some time, stands – along with "Off Broadway" – as the album's only slight misstep, laced with awkward phrasing and half-realized instrumentation. That said, "Two Hearts" it's still a very good song.

           Initially meant to be recorded as a sparse, Heartbreaker-esque record, Adams began calling on his band, The Cardinals, to help him flesh out the majority of Easy Tiger's songs. While a few songs do recall the meager allure of that great debut solo record, most of AdamsÕ latest sees his current incarnation of The Cardinals at the top of their game. Need proof? Start with the excellent, upbeat opener, ÒGoodnight Rose,Ó or maybe one of the more roots-friendly tracks, such as ÒTears of GoldÓ or ÒPearls On a String.Ó Or cut the crap and skip to the inexplicable track that had everyone talking, pondering and laughing on release day, ÒHalloweenhead,Ó a song only Ryan Adams could come up with. Or how about the eerily mature closer, ÒI Taught Myself How To Grow Old.Ó ItÕs all there, and itÕs surprisingly mature, not to mention uncharacteristically focused.

           Rock history tells us that sobriety almost always changes an artist, usually for the worse. Not the case with Adams, who with Easy Tiger has released his most economical, unswerving collection of material yet. The songs, many of which sound as though they couldÕve been recorded during AdamsÕ 2004 haze (which resulted in three studio albums in 2005), all refrain for being indulgent, usually wrapping up where on past albums Adams wouldÕve opted to ramble on with jams and unneeded verses. Lean in structure and instrumentation, the albumÕs 13 tracks still embrace the spontaneous magic of AdamsÕ recent albums, though they arrive much more lucid  and thus more professional and less indulgent than any of his past work.

           For Adams, with sobriety comes a new aptitude for editing his overflowing instincts and a newfound focus on his amazing vocal prowess, the result being an emotional, concise album made to be worn thin, bought for friends and packed in your island-bound suitcase. An album that crams AdamsÕ overabundant natural talent down the throats of his naysaying songwriting peers once and for all. An album that, more than anything else, secures AdamsÕ legacy, made to some day stand beside Heartbreaker, Cold Roses and StrangerÕs Almanac as one of the works that made him the most prolific and brilliant songwriter of his time.

       So what if Adams doesnÕt know how to pronounce the word ÒetceteraÓ on ÒOh My God, Whatever, etc.Ó; nearly everything else on Easy Tiger is on point. Hopeful, sober, lean and beautiful, AdamsÕ latest is not just one of the most rewarding works of 2007 but, more importantly, the start of a new era for everyoneÕs favorite Halloweenhead. (Greg Locke)

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