Victhor The Viking

Out of all the country artist out today, Ryan Adams, in my opinion, is one of the most prolific and talented artist out there.  His album Easy Tiger is not only one of my top albums of the decade but one of my favorite albums of all time.  From the opening guitar riff of Goodnight Rose is a country to the melancholy sound of Oh My God, Whatever, Etc. to the country rock of Halloween Head, Easy Tiger has a little bit of somethin’ somethin’ for any music fan.

The caliber of musicians that Ryan has playing with him on this album is incredible.  The background vocals that Sheryl Crow adds to the song Two is surprisingly (me not being a Sheryl Crow fan…at all…not a bit…seriously) a nice touch that song needed.  Playing steel pedal on the album is Jon Graboff, who I think is one of the best steel pedal players out there.  Incredibly haunting.

If you like alt. country, Easy Tiger is a must have album.

The new Black Crowes album “Before the Frost…” and the companion album “…After the Freeze” are a surprise for me.  I am Black Crowes fan and have really dug most of the albums they have put out but this one has that extra something that seems like the Crowns have been missing since Amorica.  First let me say you must get them both in order to get the whole feel. 

 The album is a mix of southern rock and what some would call alt. country.  This is nothing new for the Crowes or the Robinson brothers.  Ever since Southern Harmony and Musical Companion they have incorporated the blues/rock sound made famous by bands like the Allmand Brothers Band, Derek and the Dominos, and the Marshall Tucker Band.  But I feel this is the first Crowes album that have songs [So Many Times (from the Stephen Stills and Manassas Album “Down the Road”), The Last Place that Love Lives, and Fork in the River for example] that really bring the country into it.  This brings depth and weight to the overall continuity of the album(s) [However you want to look at it].

What I think was the key to the overall feel of the album is that it was recorded live before a live audience at Levon Helm’s Woodstock, NY studio, The Barn.  If you have not seen a resent Crowes live show you will not know what I mean.  The live show is what makes the Crowes such a great band.  The shows put life into the music that the studio albums have been lacking.  I believe that the Crowes feed off the audience and, as any musician knows, if the audience is diggin’ it you are diggin’ it too.

There are some cool surprises on the album that make me smile when I listen to them, for example the I Ain’t Hiding is nice funky song that has a cool “boom-ta/boom-ta” bass line that would fit in on any late 70’s TV theme song (in a good way).  And the Rich Robinson sung What is Home, has Scruggs style banjo on it that gives a cool after the rain smell and feel to the sound of the song.   

Overall, there is not one song that I would skip on these albums.  This is a real feel good, warm and fuzzy, album and is going to be an instant classic.

I give it a 10/10

Buy the CD/LP or DRM free MP3 at Amazon.com