Ashes and Fire is set to be released on October 11 but you can listen to it in its entirety on right now. NPR is streaming the album and calls it “perhaps his..mellowest album to date.” You can listen to an acoustic take of the title track from Ashes and Fire below.
The once highly prolific, almost to a fault, Ryan Adams has scaled things back. The once enfant-terrible of the alt-country genre, Ryan Adams has transcended most genre limitations and has produced albums uniquely his own. From his earlier breakthrough albums like Heartbreaker and Gold, Adams has a legion of fans due in part to his heartfelt songwriting. During the time period of 2002-2006 he released six albums before slowing things down.
Easy Tiger was a return to form in 2007 and 2008 saw the next iteration of Ryan Adams with the emergence of his back band, The Cardinals. Ryan Adams and The Cardinals released Cardinology in 2008 to strong critical and fan support. The 2010 release of III/IV was stopgap of sorts as it was a double-album of recording sessions by Ryan Adams and The Cardinals from 2007. During that time, Ryan Adams married Mandy Moore, stayed away from drugs and alcohol and was diagnosed with Ménière’s disease which painfully affects his hearing and balance.
2011 marks the return of a solo Ryan Adams record with Ashes and Fire.
What is your take on the album?
Ryan Adams is also hitting the road beginning on October 11 in San Diego. All dates below.
Ryan Adams Tour Dates
10/11/2011 – San Diego, CA @ Balboa Theater
10/13/2011 – Big Sur, CA @ Henry Miller Library
10/14/2011 – San Francisco, CA @ Herbst Theater
10/15/2011 – Napa, CA @ Uptown Theater
10/17/2011 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Rio
10/18/2011 – Sacramento, CA @ Crest Theatre
10/20/2011 – Eugene, OR @ The Shedd
10/21/2011 – Seattle, WA @ Benaroya
12/02/2011 – Philadelphia, PA @ Academy of Music
12/04/2011 – Baltimore, MD @ Lyric Opera House
12/06/2011 – New York, NY @ Carnegie Hall
12/08/2011 – Boston, MA @ Orpheum Theatre
12/10/2011 – Toronto, ON @ Winter Garden Theatre
12/11/2011 – Chicago, IL @ Cadillac Place
12/13/2011 – Minneapolis, MN @ State Theatre
