They’d be wrong. Oh so wrong. Rock N Roll aside (we’ll pretend that one doesn’t exist, Ryan’s tongue was firmly in cheek there) the problem hasn’t been down to inconsistency, its been down to having too much material, too many ideas and at times being a little self-indulgent. The question is, had he been focused enough this time around?

The initial signs were good. Having been a drug addict for the majority of his life, Easy Tiger is his first ‘clean’ album. Kicking drugs and alcohol over a year ago Adams has thrown himself into the comfortable confines of backing band The Cardinals, and even though its Ryan Adams’ name on the front cover its obviously a full band effort. The production is slick, the arrangements are short and concise and Adams’ voice is at a career high. Most importantly though, Easy Tiger has everything that a Ryan Adams album should have. The lilting pedal steel infused country of Goodnight Rose, the rich harmonies of Tears Of Gold and the love lorn acoustic balladry of Oh My God, Whatever, Etc its all here, its all totally focused and delivered with a passion that makes Adams one of the most important and vital songwriters of his generation. One puzzling thing about the album is that it features a couple of songs that are at least six years old. As good as Off Broadway and These Girls are, I can’t help but feel a little short changed. Both these songs are available elsewhere in Adams’ vast collection of bootlegs which makes me wonder if there’s actually any point in re-recording them? Especially when his live song cannon boasts such fantastic and, as yet, unrecorded songs that could have easily slid onto this record. It’s a minor complaint though, old songs or not, they fit in with the flow of the record perfectly.

The constant shifts in style on the album keep you enthralled from start to finish. The rock ‘n roll stomp of Halloween Head really shouldn’t work. On first listen the goof ball lyrics and cheesy chord changes make you question whether the song is actually taking the piss or not. It places Adams in 80′s rock mode, but the soaring lyrics on display put pay to any doubts about the track and it turns out to be one of the finest rock songs he has ever written, regardless of the lyrical content. On a totally different tangent is Pearls On A String which sounds like a traditional country lament that could have been recorded in another era.

So with all the shifts in genre and mood, why does the album work so well? The answer is simply in its delivery. Live, these songs sprawl with improvised jams akin to The Grateful Dead but on record everything is slimmed down, no junk, no meandering, just clear and focused songwriting. As brilliant as Love Is Hell, Cold Roses or Jacksonville City Nights were they were also a little bloated, a little too long. What we have with Easy Tiger is an amalgamation of all his past work, repackaged and condensed into a perfectly formed and easy to swallow 38 minute mouthful. A career high? Easy Tiger.