follow the lights

no one's denying ryan adam's creative genius, but since he left whiskeytown in 1999, each of his subsequent albums (as good as they've been) have seen him heading in different directions...so it was great to hear the new ep that he & the cardinals released earlier this week & feel like he may have finally found his comfort zone...follow the lights features only two new songs, with five additional live in studio re-imaginings, including a fantastic cover of alice in chain's "down in a hole", but the straightforward yet laid-back set, which sees the cardinals playing a larger role, flows evenly & improves on the slightly restrained country-rock adams displayed earlier this summer on easy tiger...i really like it & it's nice to see him heading in the right direction.

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download: ryan adams & the cardinals - follow the lights
download: ryan adams & the cardinals - down in a hole

related: a bit of old news, but if you haven't heard, a boxed set seems to be in the works for 2008, which will most likely feature an abundance of unreleased materiel adams has recorded throughout the years, including oft bootlegged collections like the suicide handbook & 48 hours.