Personnel: Ryan Adams (vocals, acoustic guitar, piano); J.P. Bowersock (electric guitar); David Gold (violin, viola); Michael Panes, Connie Ellison, Mary Kathryn Vanosdale, Claudia Chopek, Carl Gorodetzky, Pamela Sixfin, Alan Umstead, David Angell, Catherine Umstead (violin); Jim Grosjean, Kris Wilkinson, Gary VanOsdale (viola); Julia Kent, Bob Mason , Carole Rabinowitz-Neuen (cello); Glenn Patscha (piano, background vocals); Joe McGinty (piano); Catherine Popper (keyboards, background vocals); Byron Isaacs (background vocals); Norah Jones (vocals, piano).

Audio Mixers: Ryan Adams; Tom Schick.

Recording information: Emerald Studios, Nashville, TN; Lono Studios, New York, NY.

Photographer: Danny Clinch.

Ever since the big, splashy Gold failed to make Ryan Adams an all-conquering superstar -- it bolstered his reputation as a rock critic darling, but never had the sales to match the press -- he's retreated to genre exercises, beginning with the sleek modern rock of 2003's Rock N Roll and its moody alt-rock counterpart, Love Is Hell, carrying through to his Neil Young/Grateful Dead pastiche on his spring 2005 double album, Cold Roses, and now its autumn sequel, Jacksonville City Nights. Arriving a little over four months after Cold Roses as the second installment of a planned trilogy of 2005 releases, Jacksonville City Nights -- which at one point was going to be called the less-evocative but calendar-specific September -- is Adams' straight-up, straight-ahead country album, a lean 46-minute collection of 14 songs designed for late-night drinking. While the terrific cover art deliberately echoes classic '60s country LPs, the sound of the album isn't quite as honky tonk as that suggests, thanks to a handful of brooding numbers like "September" that are too introspective, lyric-centered, and light on melody to truly qualify as classicist country. These are the weakest moments here, but they're also the exception to the rule, since most of the songs here represent a number of classic country archetypes, from the opening pair of barroom anthems, "A Kiss Before I Go" and "The End," to his "Dear John" duet with Norah Jones or the light hillbilly swagger of the galloping "Trains" and how "My Heart Is Broken" is sweetened by just enough swings to give it a candy coating but not enough to turn it into countrypolitan schmaltz. As good as these cuts sound, it's still hard not to shake the suspicion that Ryan Adams is primarily a pastiche artist, since it's not only easy to spot influences throughout the album, but because the atmosphere of the record makes more of an impression than the individual songs. That said, Jacksonville City Nights still ranks as one of Adams' stronger albums, not just because he's returning to his rootsy roots -- after all, this isn't alt-country, this is pure country -- but because it maintains a consistent mood, is tightly edited and well sequenced, and thanks to the Cardinals, has the easy assurance of Cold Roses, which is preferable to the somewhat desperate feel of the records immediately following Heartbreaker. It may not all add up to a major statement, which is something Gold and Rock N Roll aspired to be, but it surely makes for a more likeable and ultimately more listenable album. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Ryan Adams's sophomore album with his Cardinals backing band, and his second studio offering of 2005, JACKSONVILLE CITY NIGHTS finds the ever-prolific singer/songwriter in his twangy, Gram Parsons-inspired persona. In fact, on "Dear John," jazz/pop superstar Norah Jones plays Emmylou Harris to Adams's Parsons, as the two settle into a slow, smoky duet.

While JACKSONVILLE has an energetic moment or two ("The Hardest Part"), it never wanders anywhere near Adams's amped-up ROCK N ROLL territory. In general, this is melancholy, down-tempo alt-country, which, given Adams's past in Whiskeytown, explains why the performer sounds so at ease here. "A Kiss Before I Go" begins the album on a wistful note, setting the tone with barroom piano lines and weepy pedal-steel work. On "Hardest Way to Fall," Adams indulges in a sauntering Dylan-like vibe, while "September" proves to be almost haunting in its minimalism. Although Adams's artistic reach occasionally exceeds his grasp, JACKSONVILLE CITY NIGHTS finds the artist playing to his strengths, resulting in one of his most consistent records.