In the late 90's and early 00's, Ryan Adams was the poster boy for the alt-country movement, his albums with Whiskytown and as a solo artist earning gushing critical acclaim and leading to Adams being crowned the greatest musical talent of a generation. Then his star faded. Whilst Adams remained extremely prolific throughout the 00's, his albums became uneven, inconsistent affairs, with Adam's seemingly believing that every single thing he put to tape deserved to be released on an album. So it comes as a surprise that Ashes & Fire is as good as it is. It is full of the type of heartfelt alt-country ballads Adams made his name with and does so well. He is in fine voice too, every line filled with an emotion that lends weight and feeling to this set of stripped back gems. Whilst Ashes & Fire does hark back to Adams classics like Heartbreaker and Gold, it stands on it's own feet as one of the best albums of Ryan Adams' career.
Top Tracks: Ashes & Fire, Come Home, Kindness
Rating: 8/10
Release Date: 11 October 2011
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