Cold Roses
Sent reeling by the one-two punch Conor Oberst's Bright Eyes delivered withI'm Wide Awake, It's MorningandDigital Ash In A Digital Urn, Ryan Adams vowed to strike back in 2005 withthreeof his own releases. The first--a double album, no less--sees the attention-seeking formerWhiskeytownsinger casting off both the raucous guitars of 2003'sRock N Rolland the rainy-day ballads of the same year'sLove Is Hellin favor of the more introspective moments and rustic textures of 2000'sHeartbreaker. He's snuck in at least one epic with "Meadowlake Street" and one potential radio hit with the twangy "Let It Ride," while the rest of the set is mostly packed with bleary-eyed laments that feel all too mannered after spending the last few years revealing his naked pop ambition in full. No doubt Adams will make up for it with the next one.--Aidin VaziriRecommended Ryan Adams DiscographyHeartbreakerGoldLove Is HellWhiskeytown,PneumoniaWhiskeytown,Stranger's AlmanacWhiskeytown,Faithless Street