Ryan Adams is clearly a guy who can't sit still.

That much is reflected in the title of Easy Tiger (supposedly the words of a more patient girlfriend). But it's equally clear from the rest of his output: Eight albums since 2000 -- three in '05 alone! -- plus assorted online releases and side projects.

But for album No. 9, the prolific alt-country cat and former Whiskeytown leader has changed his stripes. Now 32 and reportedly sober, he's older, wiser and calmer. And he's finally taken his sweet time between discs -- a full 18 months, an eternity for him.

Adams' new laid-back approach pays off handsomely. These 13 mature, melancholy tunes add up to one of the most focused and consistent releases in his scattershot catalog.

If this is what comes from taking his time, we're only too happy to wait a little longer for his next albums.

Goodnight Rose 3:20

If Gram Parsons had written Only Love Can Break Your Heart, it might have sounded like this torchy country-rock waltz. Love the chiming, echoing guitar arpeggios and tinkly piano.

Two 2:38

A downbeat number in every sense of the word, this yearning ballad balances grand piano and guitar with harmonies from Adams and Sheryl Crow. Blue Rodeo should cover it.

Everybody Knows 2:25

An acoustic guitar + a lazy groove + a bittersweet melody and lyrics about love gone wrong = one plainspoken, understated roots gem.

Halloweenhead 3:23

From his bag of tricks, Adams pulls out some beefy, chugging chords, a dragging drumbeat and a tolling bell -- and dishes up the disc's heaviest cut.

Oh My God, Whatever, Etc. 2:31

We move to the twilit backporch for this folksy number flecked with banjo, pretty piano and a world-weary working-man vocal.

Tears of Gold 2:53

Another slow-burning waltz that channels the Nudie-suit spirit of Parsons and his Flying Burritos. "We'll sing you to heaven and back," says Adams -- and he does.

The Sun Also Sets 4:09

The ramshackle gait has faint echoes of The Band's The Weight -- but the big piano and wailing vocal ("We are only one argument from death") are closer to Rufus Wainwright. Stunning.

Off Broadway 2:31

Stephen King recently likened Adams to Neil Young. Tunes like this -- a folksy acoustic-guitar number with a plaintive falsetto vocal and atmospheric percussion -- are why.

Pearls on a String 2:23

The banjo returns -- along with a mandolin -- for this simple, sweet and authentically old-timey bluegrass number.

Rip Off 3:12

A rich piano line drives this sombre roots ballad -- but the piercing guitar licks, gorgeous pedal steel lines and dusty brushed drums complement it superbly.

Two Hearts 3:03

Things get slightly more upbeat musically with some jangly guitars. But Adams' sorrowful Roy Orbison vocal and mushy lyrics ("Three words is all it takes to break your heart in two") tell the real story.

These Girls 2:50

"God bless all the late-night girls," sighs Adams over a gentle acoustic guitar. "When they smile, God ... I get hypnotized." This song has a similar effect.

I Taught Myself How to Grow Old 3:21

A haunting harmonica, a melancholy melody, a mournful vocal and a lush string arrangement make for the best ballad that Neil Young forgot to write.