Ashes & Fire is undeniably Ryan Adams, but he’s calmer. Adams has said that the title is meant to evoke heat, and in a strange way, this is a summer album, for those calm but warm January evenings.
It’s a smaller record than something like the more expansive Gold but it echoes the quieter moments of that record or even his lauded debut Heartbreaker. Most of the songs feature the acoustic guitar as the prominent accompaniment, which can make an album run the risk of sounding samey, but the material is so strong that the simple arrangements just highlight the core of good songwriting.
Announcing the breakup of his backing band The Cardinals in 2009, Adams wrote online that he was ready for ‘quieter times’. Well, Ryan Adams finally sounds content but you know what? He’s still great.
BY DANIEL HEDGER
Best Track: I Love You But I Don’t Know What To Say
If You Like This, You’ll Like These: Gold by RYAN ADAMS, Lifted, or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground BRIGHT EYES
In A Word: Warm
