The album opens with “Ballad Of Carol Lynn”, one of seven songs written with guitarist Mike Daly, and sets the stage for what’s to come with its muted horns, passionate vocal, and Adams’ piano and harmonica. What rings truer is Bob Dylan, not so much in musical style as in artistic development.įor the rest of us, however, it all sounds fresh and heartfelt. When Whiskeytown first surfaced, the most frequent comparison made to Adams was Gram Parsons. First, that it took Adams time to acknowledge himself as the leader, the singer, the songwriter, something special. Then there’s his memorable quote about how Whiskeytown was expected to be “the alt-country Nirvana.” As off-base as those descriptions turned out to be, they frame two key insights about the man and his band.
As for the idea, Adams has said he once believed Whiskeytown might be like the Eagles, with different singers and songwriters stepping forth, but no true leader. For as much as Adams surely loves the notion of a “rawk” band (witness his recent SXSW set with the Pinkhearts), he progressively outgrew that framework with his bandmates. In hindsight, and with apologies to those musicians who contributed meaningfully to the band (most assuredly Cary and, on Pneumonia, Mike Daly), Whiskeytown might best be described as an incubator and an idea.
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