This 2-CD set from the controversial, self-proclaimed "Savior of Rock & Roll" is the first installment of a trilogy of albums to be released in 2005. This 18-track set was recorded with his backing band The Cardinals, and is a return to the unapologetic country-rock sound that he and his bandmates in Whiskeytown perfected before breaking up in 2000. While not much was heard from the notoriously prolific Ryan Adams in the year following his flurry of 2003 releases (ROCK N ROLL and the two LOVE IS HELL EPs), 2005's COLD ROSES indicates that the singer/songwriter was plenty busy. This double album finds Adams working with a new band, the Cardinals. Fans of Adams's former group Whiskeytown will welcome the sound of COLD ROSES, which roots itself in Neil Young-influenced folk-rock, and easy-going country-rock on the order of the Flying Burrito Brothers and the Eagles. Like most of Adams's efforts, this album is polished, assured, and pleasurable, with strong songwriting at the fore throughout. The opener, "Magnolia Mountain," sets the tone--a warm, back-porch vibe tinged with melancholy and buoyed by Adams's emotive warble. Sometimes Adams downshifts to straight folk ("Rosebud"); at other times, he is more pop-minded ("Cherry Lane"), while mixing in simple, swaying melodies ("When Will You Come Back Home") and the occasional blues-based rocker ("Beautiful Sorta"). Despite the stylistic variations, COLD ROSES is extremely cohesive, and represents a welcome return to Adams's early sound.

• Genre: Rock
• Format: Vinyl
• Released: 7/24/2007