#9. Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger (Lost Highway)
The music magazine Spin said this about the album: "..Easy Tiger plays like a tightly focused best-of compilation from Adams' past six or seven efforts." The funny thing about that quote is that I've used almost the exact same phrase about it. I'm quite sure that I've said that Easy Tiger is more tightly focused than almost all of Adams' previous efforts, and since the songs are good it is like an best-of compilation. Still there's a but hanging in the air, of course there is. Easy Tiger is good, no doubt about it, but it isn't as good as Cold Roses for instance. The really good thing about Easy Tiger is that it's an album who stands on it's own legs. The songs shows off Adams' talents in a great way. You get the Grateful Dead-ish jams ("Goodnight Rose"), his Love is Hell-like balladry (Oh My God, Whatever, Etc"), middle of the road pop-rockers ("Two, Everybody Knows"), playful country-gems ("Pearls on a String") and Heartbreakers-ish great songs ("I Taught Myself How to Grow Old"). Adams is focused all the way through this time and it's a truly great album. Maybe it ain't his best, but give it time, there is so much under the surface on this album that you probably didn't see the first time around. Instead of his sometimes "I'm feeling sorry for myself" kind of lyrics you get more mature reflections on life and it's ups and downs.
And his voice sounds great nowadays.
The music magazine Spin said this about the album: "..Easy Tiger plays like a tightly focused best-of compilation from Adams' past six or seven efforts." The funny thing about that quote is that I've used almost the exact same phrase about it. I'm quite sure that I've said that Easy Tiger is more tightly focused than almost all of Adams' previous efforts, and since the songs are good it is like an best-of compilation. Still there's a but hanging in the air, of course there is. Easy Tiger is good, no doubt about it, but it isn't as good as Cold Roses for instance. The really good thing about Easy Tiger is that it's an album who stands on it's own legs. The songs shows off Adams' talents in a great way. You get the Grateful Dead-ish jams ("Goodnight Rose"), his Love is Hell-like balladry (Oh My God, Whatever, Etc"), middle of the road pop-rockers ("Two, Everybody Knows"), playful country-gems ("Pearls on a String") and Heartbreakers-ish great songs ("I Taught Myself How to Grow Old"). Adams is focused all the way through this time and it's a truly great album. Maybe it ain't his best, but give it time, there is so much under the surface on this album that you probably didn't see the first time around. Instead of his sometimes "I'm feeling sorry for myself" kind of lyrics you get more mature reflections on life and it's ups and downs.And his voice sounds great nowadays.
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