Confessions of a Fanboy

We leave The Gorge long enough to visit Sir Ryan of Adams and his first new release since 2005. The fact that Easy Tiger is his first album since 2005 is significant and means nothing at all simultaneously. Adams released three albums in ‘05!

I’ve listened all the way through the record twice now. It grew on me — a lot — the second time through. I wasn’t unhappy with it the first time through, but it didn’t do much for me. My enjoyment of the record deepened on this second listen today.

Some early impressions of the first four songs on the record:

1. “Goodnight Rose” - Built around a bit of an off-kilter rhythm and a repeated guitar figure, this is a nice blend of country and rock with a nice pop hook.
2. “Two” - I liked the female backing vocal on the song when I listened to it today, but I didn’t think much of it because Adams’ backing band, The Cardinals, has included women. It turns out that voice on this cut belongs to Sheryl Crow. Adams’ duet with Norah Jones on “Dear John” was a better vocal pairing, but “Two” is probably a better song.
3. “Everybody Knows” - One critic likened this to a cross between James Taylor and Fleetwood Mac. That’s not a bad comparison because “Everybody Knows” has a real ’70s feel to it. This is a high point on the record.
4. “Halloweenhead” - The idiotic tendencies of Adams shows up on this one. It’s a stupid name for a song. This is actually the biography of Ryan Adams in 3:30 minutes: his talent overcomes his dopiness. This is the biggest “rock” number on the record and it is far from terrible, even if it is dumb.

   I’ll try and have a full review of this written (in the midst of trying to finish 34 other reviews I need to write). In the meantime, go buy yourself a copy of Easy Tiger.

   Filed under: Tags: Music of the Moment, Ryan Adams