Categories : Music Reviews, Rock + Pop, Top Rated.
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Rating: 4/5 Released: October 23, 2007 Reviewer: David Coats |
When Ryan Adams released Easy Tiger last summer, it was noteworthy for the absence of Adams’ signature over-the-top performances. On Follow The Lights, the trend continues, and finally it hits you what the difference is: it may no longer be fair to consider Adams a solo artist. Adams has become so integrated into his band, the Cardinals, it is clear the rest of the band plays an equal role in the direction of the music.
Follow The Lights contains a satisfying balance of old and new Adams. Of the seven songs on the EP, three are reworked versions of previously released songs (‘Dear John,’ ‘If I Am A Stranger,’ ‘This Is It’), three new songs (‘Follow the Lights,’ ‘Blue Hotel,’ ‘My Love For You Is Real’), and a standout cover of Alice In Chains’ ‘Down in a Hole’ (for the sceptics who wondered whether Adams could pull this one off, listen to his let-loose delivery of the lyric, “Down in a hole and I don’t know if I can be savedâ€).
The new songs feature dramatic, layered instrumentation in perfect balance, beautiful harmonies, and a classic Adams throwback vocal performance (‘Blue Hotel’). Of the previously released songs, ‘If I Am A Stranger’ subtly, beautifully, captures the emotions we’ve come to expect from Adams releases. ‘Dear John’ loses its smoky qualities because, like the rest of the record, it has a polish the original version lacked. It’s still strong, and the band’s sound is extremely tight, but it loses a hint of its charm.
With the evolution of the band, and added polish to already one-of-a-kind songwriting, comes a sense of confidence to these songs, a sense of Adams being comfortable in his own skin. With a more balanced, measured approach, Adams may not be Ryan Adams anymore, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t doing some of his best work.
