Follow the Lights

by Ryan Adams & the Cardinals, Ryan Adams

Overview

The steady, streamlined Easy Tiger was a sure sign that Ryan Adams was attempting to straighten up and play the game, but its quickly released EP follow-up, Follow the Lights, takes this self-conscious sobriety to a whole different level, as it finds Adams writing two songs for the ABC drama October Road, then rearranging three of his own songs to fit the same hazy, mellow vibe of his new tunes, adding the previously unreleased "Blue Hotel" and a cover of Alice in Chains' "Down in a Hole" to the mix. This isn't so much a sell-out as yet another one of Adams' savvy genre exercises -- the only difference is, here he's gunning for the Grey's Anatomy adult-alternative crossover market instead of crafting a tribute to the Smiths or Grateful Dead. Adams pulls it off, possibly because the abbreviated length of the EP is just enough time for him to dwell in one place without being bored, but also because the lazy, low-key vibe emphasizes the empathy between him and his excellent backing band the Cardinals, who add warmth and a ragged humanity to Adams' tunes. Indeed, the dullest moment here is "If I Am a Stranger," where the Cardinals recede to the background, but the rest of the record places the band on equal footing with Adams, giving this a gently ramshackle appeal not all that dissimilar to either the Dead or the Band. The Cardinals help sell the new songs and a less insistent, strident take on "This Is It," but where they really shine is on that wonderful reinvention of "Down in a Hole," turning AIC's dirge into heart-on-the-sleeve country-rock that is arguably Adams' best single recording in recent memory. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	10/23/2007
Label:	Lost Highway / Loki
UPC:	0602517497337
Rank:	124922

Tracks

1. Follow the Lights
2. My Love Is Real
3. Blue Hotel
4. Down in a Hole
5. This Is It
6. If I Am a Stranger
7. Dear John

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Ryan Adams & the Cardinals   Primary Artist
Ryan Adams   Primary Artist,Banjo,Piano,Guitar,Vocals
Jon Graboff   Pedal Steel,Vocals
Brad Pemberton   Drums,Percussion
Chris Feinstein   Bass
Jamie Candiloro   Piano,Keyboards
Neal Casal   Guitar,Vocals

Technical Credits

Jamie Candiloro   Audio Production,Mixing,Engineer,Producer
John P. Bowersock   Composer
Brad Pemberton   Composer
Catherine Popper   Composer
Jerry Cantrell   Composer
Clifton Allen   Assistant
Johnny T   Composer
Brendan Dekora   Assistant
Cindy Cashdollar   Composer
Ryan Adams   Composer
Neal Casal   Cover Photo
Norah Jones   Composer
Jason Wormer   Engineer
Richard Wootton   Publicity
Luke Lewis   A&R
Phillip Andelman   Photography
Johnny T. Yerington   Composer
Andy West   Design
Bob Ludwig   Mastering