Ryan Adams Album Leaks, Fans Hopelessly Divided

What’s new on the file-sharing networks this week.

Ryan Adams, Easy Tiger

Official release date: June 19

The Internet loves it!: “It’s a real stunner … One gets the impression that it’s the kind of album that could define a career … His most accessible, consistent, and perfectly structured album so far.” [Brad’s Brain]

The Internet hates it!: “Many of these tracks feel like they could have been on any of his past records … That isn’t to say the album doesn’t have any rewarding moments … [but] bland lyrical content scars most of them … Adams seems burned out.” [Last Waltzer]

We think: These are the best thirteen songs Ryan Adams has released all year, which is no small feat considering the quantity of his output. Easy Tiger revisits the most memorable parts of his recent (official) discography: There are Dead Head guitar jams à la Cold Roses (“Goodnight Rose”), country waltzes (“Tears of Gold”) and Neil Young–style ballads that would’ve been right at home on Gold. The album’s a summation of everything he does well, and his most complete work since Heartbreaker. —Lane Brown