Ryan Adams has had a bumpy ride since blazing onto the scene with first two solo albums Heartbreaker and Gold. In the years since then he has brought out Demolition, (a collection of songs he couldn't be bothered finishing), Love Is Hell (originally on two EPs because the record company refused to release it as an album. They then released it as an album) and Rock 'n' Roll (a critically slammed attempt to be a rock star). So, back with a new backing band and a double album, has he hit form again?

Well, firstly we should qualify that, as Demolition, Rock 'n' Roll and especially Love Is Hell all had some great songs on them, the problem was that Adams seemed to be throwing them out alongside any kind of songs he could whip up in five minutes (quite literally on Rock 'n' Roll), whereas he seems to have taken his time with Cold Roses.

The first bit of good news is that Adams has returned to his alt.country roots with the Cardinals providing excellent backing and giving a very full and jangly guitar sound, especially on opening duo Magnolia Mountain and Sweet Illusion, which are both amongst the best songs he's ever written. However, Meadowlake Street takes a very long time to get anywhere before finally not really getting anywhere, which is a criticism Adams often faces and a problem that afflicts too many songs on this album.

Not many double albums are lacking filler, and Cold Roses is no exception. Beautiful Sorta bounces along nicely, but doesn't stick in the memory at all, while Now That You're Gone is mournful but as empty as the room he describes in the lyrics. Cherry Lane is much better, and what strikes you about this album is that, for better and worse, Adams is just playing music rather than showing off like he occasionally has done in the past, notably with Rock 'n' Roll.

Too much of the first half of the album (or first CD if you're old fashioned) is slow and aimless, but Cold Roses really redeems itself in the second half. Single Let It Ride is a classic Adams song, while Easy Plateau and the title track both have memorable guitar lines and If I Am A Stranger and Dance All Night sound like they could have taken from Gold. There's no denying that Cold Roses could do with some trimming, but it's still a welcome return to form for alt.country's poster boy and we have to be thankful for that.