One for the fans, the 2015 concert set
Live at Carnegie Hall -- released just months after his exquisitely sculpted 2014 eponymous set -- showcased two entire concerts, both largely solo, intimate, and loose. This collection, released just a few months later, culls ten highlights from this album. Even in its truncated form, it's the antidote to the lush
Ryan Adams, an album that, at its best, occasionally sounded like a lost gem from 1980 by focusing on the man and his songs. Where he used to push these buttons hard,
Adams seems relaxed, running through his songs with an insouciant ease and seeming almost more invested in the between-song patter, where he tells wry jokes and plays the role of a genial host. Not one for the skeptical, but
Carnegie Hall charms: give yourself over to it, and
Adams wins you over, first through his act and then through his songs. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine