Ryan Adams & The Cardinals "Cardinology" Lost Highway

By Jeremy Climer

Beginning with the release of Easy Tiger, Ryan Adams seemed to have learned to control his desire to release damn near every song he writes and put out a solid, cohesive record, and Cardinology is a continuation of that maturity. Perhaps it is the consistency of playing with The Cardinals and having the expertise of musicians like Neal Casal and Brad Pemberton with him on a day-to-day basis, or perhaps getting sober set him straight. This is also a natural progression from Easy Tiger, no more genre jumping every album.

Adams also seems to be a little more happy this time around. Did you ever think you’d hear him sing, “Have confidence and keep the faith” as he does in “Born Into a Light”? The romanticism is still present, as are the Grateful Dead guitar licks, but the album manages to sound fresh and new. “Magick” is something that could have appeared on Rock N Roll, but otherwise, there are some beautiful, mid-tempo songs that any Ryan Adams fan will find comfortable and progressive at the same time; songs like “Fix It”, “Let Us Down Easy” and “Like Yesterday” show a maturing songwriter and man.

Ryan Adams & The Cardinals "Cardinology"