Easy Tiger

Ryan Adams | Format: MP3 Music

Product Details

• Original Release Date: June 26, 2007
• Release Date: June 26, 2007
• Label: Lost Highway Records
• Copyright: (C) 2006 UMG Recordings, Inc.
• Record Company Required Metadata: Music file metadata contains unique purchase identifier. Learn more.
• Total Length: 38:39
• Genres:
  • Rock
• ASIN: B000V9HVCK
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (107 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #38,122 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Tomorrow's on it's way, and there's always new songs to sing June 29, 2007

By J. Chasin VINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

Easy Tiger is a lilting and beautiful country-ish record that solidifies Ryan Adams's position as the premier songwriter of his generation. It is one of his most polished works, which may not seem like good thing (no one ever complained that Exile on Main Street needed more polish); but his newfound sobriety brings with it a maturity and discipline that, believe it or not, he wears well. At 38 minutes, the record seems to end too soon- a welcome respite in the digital age-- and in my book when you want to go back and play the thing all over again, that is generally a very good sign.

Meanwhile the Cardinals continue to evolve and solidify as one of the best bands around. Neil Casal's guitar is piercing and articulate; Jon Graboff's pedal steel provides a lot of the feel and color. Every member of the band save for Adams and drummer Brad Pemberton has turned over since Cold Roses (2005), and yet they keep getting better and tighter, as their live shows continue to demonstrate. While the feminine presence of former bassist Catherine Popper is missed in the vocal mix, Chris Feinstein manages to push the Cardinals musical chemistry forward on his first record with the band.

The waltzes "Goodnight Rose" and "Tears of Gold" harken back to the country sounds of Jacksonville City Nights; either song would fit seamlessly on that record. "Two," which Adams has been playing live for 18 months, is done as a duet with Sheryl Crow, a Cardinals fan who's voice melds in a pretty way with his. Like a lot of Adams's best songs, this one manages with simple language to capture the pure hurt of love; "It takes two, when it used to take only one..."

"Halloween Head" is a little anomalous here, done as a punkish garage rocker; what keeps it from being jarring is the insane catchiness of it. "Pearls On a String," yet another beautiful song, contains lines that nicely sum up Adams's prolific output: "Tomorrow's on it's way/ And there's always new songs to sing."

Adams and the Cardinals have been touring to support this record as an acoustic 6-piece, with producer Jamie Candiloro on piano and Adams putting his guitar aside (hand trouble.) The acoustic treatment brings out the richness in this material, the timelessness of the compositions. For those of us who grew up with artists like Neil Young, Van Morrison, and the Band, and who still treasure the classic records these artists made, Ryan Adams and the Cardinals are a contemporary treasure.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Damned If He Does, Damned If He Doesn't... June 27, 2007

By C Smith

Format:Audio CD

Adams catches grief no matter what he does. The same people who chastise him for being too odd, erratic and/or unpredictable will slam him the next time around for playing it safe and/or being too mainstream. Thankfully, the man just writes and records what's in his heart.

EASY TIGER is clearly Ryan's most impressive work to date. I never thought he'd top LOVE IS HELL (Parts 1 & 2), but he's really done it this time. The songs are amazingly well-crafted and his voice is in great form.

Highlights for me are TWO, EVERYBODY KNOWS, RIP OFF, PEARLS ON A STRING and THESE GIRLS. To be honest, there's not a bad track on the disc. Sure, HALLOWEEN HEAD is a bit weird - but it's so damn catchy and well-written, you can't help but catch the hook.

There is something for everybody here - lush productions, sparse piano and voice, bluegrass-flavored acoustic guitar and nice harmonies. Taken as a whole, it's a release that will take a long time to find it's way out of your CD player or off of your iPod playlist.

Highly recommended.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars It took a few listens, but this is pretty dern good. August 26, 2007

By dj_wacker

Format:Audio CD

When I first listened to Easy Tiger, I though it was over-produced and, as a fellow reviewer noted, awesome by normal radio standards but average for Ryan Adams. Then, I did two things to gain some perspective on the album. I went to see Ryan live in promotion of this album and I read the one page expose on Easy Tiger's production in Rolling Stone. Ryan belted out a number of tunes form this album at the show and they sounded incredible. I popped the album back into my player and gave it a few more listens. Just like with JCN, this album grew on me immensely. It -is- a bit over-produced, but Ryan's vocal phrasings and the Cardinals' melodic hooks put it leagues above any other 'heavily produced' top 40/rock album. The lyrics are incredible (as always) and seem more interesting after hearing about the singer's travails in the RS story. This album is definitely not as loose at the last three, but it is still the Cardinals and still has that seventies acoustic rock vibe. As to a previous reviewer's comment that listeners wouldn't find themselves humming any tunes off this album, I can't get the cheesy, butt-rock influenced, drug rocker Halloween Head out of my head. It is really becoming a problem... :)