Ashes & Fire

Rolling Stone - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[With] an A-list pickup team, with Tom Petty veteran Benmont Tench on keyboards and Norah Jones on piano and harmonies. The mood is quietly apocalyptic..." Entertainment Weekly - "It's all so gentle that it's nearly sleepy, but in a nice way." -- Grade: B+ Spin - "Lead single 'Lucky Now' literally revels in Adams' newfound reformation....He's purely elegant throughout." Record Collector - 4 star out of 5 -- "[T]here's a real focus to the writing; these sweet, sad songs sound like his most fully realised collection in years." Magnet - "There is a master-class precision to the writing and execution of these songs -- an exacting attention to subtlety and nuance, a perfectly calibrated modulation of mood and dynamics -- that simply cannot be faked." Mojo - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Glyn Johns' production and the presence of Norah Jones and Benmont Tench deepen an atmosphere of country space and personal grace....ASHES & FIRE sounds like a new beginning."

For his 13th solo album, Ashes & Fire, the prolific singer/songwriter Ryan Adams recruited legendary producer Glyn Johns, who helmed the Who classic Who's Next. The 11-track collection also includes guest appearances from Norah Jones and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers' keyboard player Benmont Tench.|

ソロ12枚目の新作は、もはや円熟の域に達したと言って差し支えのない安定感のある一枚だ。もともとシンプルな音作りを得意としているが、そこからさらに肉を削ぎ落とした感が。ノラ・ジョーンズがコーラスとピアノで参加している曲を除けば、ほぼアコギと歌のみ。スロウ中心の構成で、ライアンの歌声もいつになく感傷的に響いている。これを聴いて、ボブ・ディラン〈血の轍〉を連想する人は私だけじゃないはず!
bounce (C)赤瀧洋二