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easy tiger

Artist:
Ryan Adams

Title:
Easy Tiger

Release Date:
06.26.07

Label:
Lost Highway

So here I am, enjoying a delightful day under the marshmallow clouds and periwinkle sky – think land of make believe. Most people take this for granted, but not the delusioned fans of Ryan Adams. In March of 2006, I was indicted by a federal grand jury for sharing four jingles from Adams’ 2005 release, Jacksonville City Nights. I went on to plead guilty and receive 2 years of probation and 2 months of house arrest.

While I was incarcerated in my own home, stranded, counting the popcorn on the ceiling, Mr. Adams was recording his 9th full-length album in a posh, uptown New York studio. Easy Tiger is easily comparable to my house arrest – incredibly boring. What was hailed as Mr. Adams’ most consistent record yet, is, at best, an unfocused, over-polished bargain-bin letdown. The talented Mr. Adams kicks off his latest flop with, ‘Goodnight Rose,’ a Grateful Dead-esque jam that ultimately fails to break any new musical ground, and ultimately sets the tone for the rest of the album.

With the sterile, ‘Two’ and ‘Everybody Knows’ to the coma-inducing boredom that is ‘Off Broadway’ and ‘These Girls,’ it doesn’t even sound like Adams wants to be singing these songs. Shifting between alt-country, adult contemporary, bluegrass, drab-acoustic balladry and back again, the only standout jam is the spectacular ‘Halloweenhead.’ For an artist that is always progressing, the catchy brilliance behind ‘Halloweenhead’ is a step in the right direction for Adams. However, as a whole, Easy Tiger is nothing to phone home about.