Alabaman mirrors Ryan Adams' earlier solo endeavours with fine second album
Since leaving Whiskeytown, Ryan Adams’ solo career has followed an interesting trajectory, taking in colossal peaks and disappointing troughs. Sound-alike AA Bondy has also traded a full band sound, in the form of Alabaman grunge merchants Verbana, for a more introspective style. Thankfully, he mirrors Adams in more than just voice and recalls the Carolinian troubadour at the height of his powers: woozy, melodic and slightly rough around the edges. But it would be wrong to dismiss Bondy as a tribute act, for When the Devil’s Loose is a fine album in its own right. From the drunken balladry of Oh The Vampyre (“I could drink the world and never get my fill”), to the tender navel-gazing of Mightiest of Guns, and the album’s crowning moment, the buoyant I Can See The Pines Are Dancing, this is mightily impressive fare. Now, is it sadistic to hope Bondy doesn’t follow Adams onto the wagon?
4/5
Written for The Skinny
Video: AA Bondy - I Can See The Pines are Dancing
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