Ryan Adams Easy Tiger Grade: C

It seems like Ryan Adams has found a new demographic with his latest release, Easy Tiger: baby boomers. That is not to say that this release feels uninspired or unfocused, especially compared to the storm of albums he put out in 2005, or his drunken posts on the Internet, but it lacks a certain punch. Gone are the post-Whiskeytown, exploratory wonders of Heartbreaker, or the head-banging rock of Gold. In their place are stylized singer-songwriter confessions, tunes for people who loved Neil Young growing up but can't listen to hard rock today.\nThe best track on the album is "Halloweenhead," a comparatively heavy song that describes a guy with way too much on his mind. The only problem is that Adams sabotages the would-be radio hit with multiple curse words and a goofy shout ("Guitar Solo!"). If there is a smash hit from this album, it will be "Two," a song dedicated to the power of a relationship, featuring background vocals from the queen of adult contemporary herself, Sheryl Crow. "Tears of Gold" is good, classic country music made for a slow dance, and "Off Broadway" is a sweet, tender song reminiscent of Joni Mitchell. But on the whole, the album feels plain, and by the second half, the songs run into each other in an indistinguishable pit.\nEasy Tiger is a dedicated genre exercise, but it's hard to tell if Adams hasn't aged himself prematurely with this effort. Lyrics about Murphy Beds and moping all night make him sound much older than his 33 years. It's understandable why he would take this route, the same one Wilco and others have tried lately. Putting out a adult contemporary album will sell more because that crowd doesn't get music for free online as much as the younger generation.\nWhichever demographic he's shooting for, on Easy Tiger, Adams shows that he wasn't joking when he wrote the album's last song, "I Taught Myself How to Grow Old"