Ryan Adams

Adams' prodigious songwriting ability reigns over his penchant to change musical styles as often as he does thrift shop garb. This time out his expert band authentically nails '70s-style roadhouse honky-tonk. Highlights include a delicate duet with Norah Jones and the mournful "September."

Lately Ryan Adams has been revisiting the country rock of his early career: first with Cold
Roses, the two-disc set Adams and his band the Cardinals put out just a few months ago;
and now on Jacksonville City Nights, an unadulterated return to form. Nights finds him
digging deeper than ever into the genre to suckle on its dirt-clotted roots. Adams stakes
out a fairly small plot of land, which gives these fourteen tracks a purity of spirit:... More >