Easy Tiger

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
iEasy Tiger/i, 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 Neal Casal's band 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 iHarvest/i outtake Neil Young never wrote, while the treated, synth-sounding guitar solo on the druggy, chooglin' "Halloween Head" 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. i--Mike McGonigal/i

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2009-04-22 rating:
Small but perfectly formed
Next to previously grandiose opuses like Love is Hell and Cold Roses, Easy Tiger can't help but initially feel a little slight. It's also a surprise to see the normally prolific Adams, who you sense tires of songs before they are even recorded, recycling material as old as Off Broadway and Hey There, Mrs. Lovely (These Girls). Adams also hinted that this album was tailored to suit record company demands. Yet, despite all these dubious signs, the album holds up marvellously. br / br /Newly clean and sober while recording, this marks the first output of a slightly tamer Adams, and while it's easy to miss the singular vision that produced such albums as LIH and 29, shorn of any bluster or self-aggrandisement songs such as I Taught Myself How to Grow Old and Two are some of the most genuinely affecting he has written. br / br /The album also displays a deceptive versatility, where in the context of poppy, 3 minute songs Adams encompasses acoustic laments (Oh My God.., Everybody Knows), pure country (Tears of Gold), country rock (Two Hearts, Goodnight Rose) and bluegrass (Pearls on a String). There's also another awesome air guitar moment in Halloweenhead for humourless curmudgeons to insist he ought to be ashamed of. br / br /While this possibly isn't Adams most distinctive offering, it's a concise, effortless display of his pure songwriting talent.

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review by: Jens date: 2008-06-09 rating:
Sober songs
First, let me say tht this is not Adams'best album. For me, that title belongs to either Gold or Love is Hell. br /That said I think that Easy Tiger is one of his most consistent records and there are no fillers or throw-aways. On the other and there are no songs that just knocks everything down - like English Girls Approximately. br /But some of th songs stand out as really good songs. "Halloweenhead", "I taught myself hot to grow old" and "Off Broadway". br /Let's just hope that next time he will give us more classics and thereby reach the 5 stars again.

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review by: date: 2008-04-23 rating:
Adams finds his quality control button
Although the highs of his past three albums (Cold Roses, Jacksonville City Nights, 29) were very high indeed, there was a feeling there was a great single album to be had there. With an abundance of talent, Adams gives the impression of being a songwriting machine, but unfortunately all those songs shouldn't all be put out! br / br /Thankfully, Easy Tiger is a return to the standard set by solo debut Heartbreaker, with a great melody never far away on this album (Two, Everybody Knows, Two Hearts). It has that country-rock/Americana feel Adams' reputation always seems to allude to but is never really heard on recent albums (either straight country on Jacksonville or a mish-mash of alt-country on Cold Roses). And as always, something that Adams fans secretly love about him, is how meloncholy his songs are never afraid to be (I Taught Myself How To Grow Old). br / br /Definitely recommended for people new to Adams as well as those who had lost their patience with him (though if you ask me, 29 is among his best).

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review by: Jayy date: 2008-04-03 rating:
Best since Gold
For me, this is the closest ryan has come to reaching the heights of Gold, it is certainly his most commercial offering since then and is full of great tunes, the differnce for me with this album is that it took me a bit longer to get into than previous recordings but now that i have i am once again truely appreciating the genius of the man, it is a definite 5 star album and for me is a huge improvement on other recent release. Adams has a quality that is hard to define, only a select few others have such a talent and it's good to see that he is fulfilling it and making the most of it.


review by: date: 2008-03-20 rating:
Boring
Cold Roses and Jacksonville City Nights are Adams' masterpieces. Easy Tiger is the first record made by a newly sober Adams and it shows. The songs are uninspired and dull - there's no excitement here at all. The best track on the record, Pearls On A String, is the one moment of excellence on this record. Ugh, it's just a bad record.

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Love Is Hell
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