EASY TIGER - RYAN ADAMS
Adams’ latest creation most closely resembles 2005’s double-disc “Cold Roses” featuring the Cardinals, only with a sharper band and more concise songs. Producer Jamie Candiloro maintains a fairly hands-off approach with these raw, country-tinged tracks and pushes Adams’ howls, falsettos and murmurs to the front of the mix. This is mostly for the best, considering, after a year of writing and editing, he’s pumped out some beautiful lyrics, particularly on the pensive closer “I Taught Myself How to Grow Old” and “Everybody Knows.” Beyond a gorgeous duet with Sheryl Crow on “Two,” the breezy, minimal “These Girls” is a refreshing throwback to Adams’ “Heartbreaker” days. This “Tiger” is fairly tame, but that’s OK: The only glaring gaffe is “Halloween Head,” with its overblown vocal delivery and self-deprecation in the form of Hallow’s Eve cliches. Source: Billboard
