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Ryan Adams agrees that the tone of Easy Tiger, his ninth album, is different, not dark, just different, and suggests in passing that it may have something to do with both sobering up and growing up (he's 32). 14 tracks including the first single 'Two' (featuring Sheryl Crow on backing vocals), the upbeat 'Halloween Head' and beautiful 'The Sun Also Sets'. Universal. .com ---- Easy Tiger, Ryan Adams's ninth solo studio album, is a return to form in every way. He's already shown that he can bash out three albums in one year--not to mention the hilarious fake hip-hop records posted for free on his Web site--and that he can sound as much like the Grateful Dead as he wants to in his constant subsequent touring. Backed once again by the Cardinals, Adams synthesizes and refines his approach to smooth, gorgeous country-pop. "Tears of Gold" is one of the best songs he's written in ages, while "Two" is a slowly percolating, sweet little number that recalls Sean Hayes in its soulful folksiness (someone named Sheryl Crow accompanies Adams on vocals). One of the greatest treats of this languorous, twangy album is the subtle ways that genre gets played with. "I Taught Myself How to Grow Old" is the best Harvest outtake Neil Young never wrote, while the treated, synth-sounding guitar solo on the druggy, chooglin' "Halloweenhead" sounds like it comes straight out of Journey. And "The Sun Also Sets" sounds more than a little like Rufus Wainwright covering Fred McDowell's "Write Me a Few of Your Lines." It bursts with enough melodrama as to border on musical theater. But, as is clear on these songs of love and loss, Adams has always been at his best when giving into his most mellow, dramatic side. --Mike McGonigal Ryan Adams Photos ( https://images-na.ssl-images-.com/images/G/01/music/artists/rad-l-3.jpg ) ( https://images-na.ssl-images-.com/images/G/01/music/artists/rad-l-1.jpg ) ( https://images-na.ssl-images-.com/images/G/01/music/artists/rad-l-2.jpg ) More Ryan Adams Heartbreaker ( /exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004XSKU/ref=ed_mus_6x_ra_1 ) Gold ( /exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005QY5Y/ref=ed_mus_6x_ra_2 ) Love Is Hell ( /exec/obidos/ASIN/B0001ZMX68/ref=ed_music_6x_ra_3 ) P.when('A').execute(function(A) { A.on('a:expander:toggle_description:toggle:collapse', function(data) { window.scroll(0, data.expander.$expander[0].offsetTop-100); }); }); Review ------ 4 Stars **** "the bad boy is back and he's really, really good" -- Q Magazine June 2007 We Love "Easy Tiger" Ryan's stunning new record. Nothing has rivaled his classic debut, 2000's uniformly gorgeous Heartbreaker...until now. -- Rolling Stone May '07 See more ( javascript:void(0) )