June 3, 2007, La Maroquinerie, Paris, France
Ryan Adams
(Answeringbell.com, Aquariumdrunkard.com)
Even casual Ryan Adams fans will want to download this outstanding (both in terms of performance and sound quality) bootleg of a recent show in Paris. Adams and his five-piece backing band The Cardinals unveil the alt-country star's brilliant new album Easy Tiger, giving the songs sensitive treatments that often add to the studio recordings, thanks to Adams' impassioned readings. There are surprises, too. Easy Tiger's lone rocker, the anti-drug screed "Halloweenhead," is recast here as an acoustic number that's even more haunting than the original, and "New York, New York" appears in the guise of a country weeper.
This article appears in Jul 25-31, 2007.