Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
One step closer to the perfect album..., 4 Jul 2007
Ryan Adams is nothing if not prolific. Nine studio albums in seven years is no mean feat.
Unfortunately, an almost natural by-product of this has tended to be a fair bit of filler being injected into at least four of the nine, turning what would otherwise be great into something that is 'just' very good. Thankfully, only one such track here - "Pearls On A String" - slips into this category.
The album title reflects Adams' slow-down and perhaps signifies a cleaner, sober artist whose creativity and talent can be fully realised. Similarly, "I Taught Myself How To Grow Old" reflects the more mature, stable feel to this collection. Both are positive steps towards the 'perfect' Ryan Adams album fans have been hankering after.
Previous releases have flitted between genres ranging from straight country to alt-country right through to straight rock 'n' roll. Here, styles seem to converge and we have a collection that is eclectic yet at the same time solid and mature.
A number of standout tracks ("Tears Of Gold", "Two", "The Sun Also Sets" and "I Taught Myself How To Grow Old") are achingly beautiful and feel well-balanced alongside bouncy indie anthems such as "Halloween Head". His voice is versatile enough to allow him to sound at home with both tear-jerking ballads and livelier tracks and sounds the best it has on any Adams release to date.
He is edging ever-closer to releasing something truly exceptional and this is as close as he has come to delivering on that promise made following his 2000 debut, Heartbreaker.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Adams still has 'Gold'en touch, 17 Feb 2008
When Adams admitted in 2007 that he had endured "an extended period of substance abuse" that ended in 2006 including snorting a cocktail of heroin and cocaine, I must admit that I wasn't entirely surprised. I had been puzzled at Ryan's insistence at releasing no less than three studio albums in 2005, all of which were a little underwhelming and had diluted the quality of his music so much that I bought 'Easy Tiger' with a slight reluctance and only because it had received so much good press and positive reviews from critics and fans alike.
When I first put the CD into my player and pressed play, I heard 'Goodnight Rose' and had a sinking feeling. Yet another unremarkable Ryan Adams song which was good enough, but nothing near the heights reached by 'Heartbreaker' and 'Gold'. Listening on, however, I was delighted to discover that 'Easy Tiger' is, indeed, Ryan's best album since 2001's brilliant (if slightly bloated) 'Gold'. The drug & excess themed 'Two', the magnificent acoustic country/rock ballad 'Everybody Knows' and the weary, harmonica-driven coming of age song 'I Taught Myself How To Get Old' are excellent songs and easily the best three tracks on the album. Those, coupled with the catchy indie singalong 'Halloweenhead', the gentle country toe-tapper 'Two Hearts' and the bare bones vocal/guitar pairing of 'These Girls' make for an album full of more highs that Ryan has produced for a long time.
I am very glad I decided to take a gamble on 'Easy Tiger', despite Ryan's recent inconsitencies caused by the excesses of his lifestyle. The clean, focused but evidently still troubled Ryan sounds a hell of a lot better than the one reliant on drugs to function. Who'd have guessed?
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good to have you back, 13 Jun 2007
Apparently clean and sober, Ryan delivers his most coherent album since Gold. Not to say his other albums haven't had their moments. On the contrary, there have been stunning moments on all of his post-Gold albums, but this one just hangs together better as a whole.
Backed by The Cardinals again, there is a strong Neil Young vibe throughout the album. Which is, of course a splendid thing. Having apparently taken the last year off to take stock, and get sober, he has returned fitter, stronger, not trying so hard, therefore sounding more natural and comfortable with himself.
It's good to have this old trooper back (seems he's been around forever). The musical landscape has changed somewhat, with The Hold Steady, Cold War Kids and Wilco (still) flying the flag for 'Americana'. Let's hope the world hasn't grown weary of Ryan's stellar talents and moved on, impatiently waiting for the classic follow-up to Gold and Heartbreaker. God knows, on this form, and newly rejuvinated, we need him.
Welcome back sunshine!
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