Jacksonville City Nights 2XLP

Album Details

Lately Ryan Adams has been revisiting the country rock of his early career: first with Cold Roses, the two-LP set Adams and his band the Cardinals put out just a few months ago; and now on Jacksonville City Nights, an unadulterated return to form. Here we find him digging deeper than ever into the genre to suckle on its dirt-clotted roots. Adams stakes out a fairly small plot of land, which gives these fourteen tracks a purity of spirit: He explores with unwavering dedication the shuffle, sway and gallop of traditional country music, as channeled through the filter of Seventies country rock. Taking cues from Southern bards such as Gram Parsons and Townes Van Zandt, Jacksonville City Nights is also classic Ryan Adams, earthy, rich with pathos and almost disconcertingly dedicated to the idea that life's only two constants are losing a lover you probably didn't deserve in the first place and losing yourself in the bottom of a fifth of Jack Daniel's. The LP release includes a duet with Norah Jones, who ought to make a country album of her own, and four bonus tracks only available on the 180g double lp version from lost highway including covers of 'You Were Always On My Mind', 'Jeane' and 'I Still Miss Someone.'