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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
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His most straightforward country music to date.
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Entertainment WeeklySomebody tell this man to take a vacation. [30 Sep 2005, p.94]
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For the most part, Jacksonville City Nights is well paced, with enough uptempo songs spread throughout to balance the sluggish, pensive balladry that bogged down the too-long Cold Roses.
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Jacksonville City Nights is a well-lit snapshot of a talented mythmaker modeling his best honky-tonk garb-- and this time, holy shtick, the tailoring is almost impeccable.
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There’s a lot of filler here, even for Ryan.
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Adams still hasn't made the solo record that everyone feels he's capable of, but Jacksonville City Nights ranks with his most solid records.
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An unadulterated return to form.
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There aren’t as many memorable cuts as on Adams' stellar solo debut, Heartbreaker, but Jacksonville City Nights reveals an older, more seasoned performer.
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MojoFrustratingly, Adams' insistence on releasing his every whim means that for each wonderful My Heart Is Broken or Pa, there's a rather ordinary The Hardest Part, dreary Silver Bullets or simply stinking Dear John. [Oct 2005, p.112]
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As with most Adams records, the fact that some of the songs made the cut is perplexing.
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New Musical Express (NME)Adams could clearly make use of an editor here--but you can't possibly hate an album that uses pedal-steel on every track. [24 Sep 2005, p.43]
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UncutMusically at least, [Jacksonville] confirms Adams' restoration to rude health. [Oct 2005, p.106]
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Perhaps Adams is just earning cheap sympathy with his strained, tour-weary voice, or maybe it’s just too thrilling to hear him revisit Gram, but Jacksonville City Lights does seem to come by its sound honestly.
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Q MagazineWhere Cold Roses was dense, narcotic rock... this is a country album in the tradition of Neil Young's Harvest and, notably, Grievous Angel by Gram Parsons. [Nov 2005, p.122]
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BlenderIt's the sound of a New Yorker coming home for a breath of country air. [Nov 2005, p.130]
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SpinThis completely non-shitty '70s-Nashville country record reminds you why Adams was once a big deal. [Nov 2005, p.101]
User score distribution:
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Positive: 45 out of 54
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Mixed: 4 out of 54
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Negative: 5 out of 54
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Aug 6, 2011
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DustyGSep 28, 2006
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reidfAug 10, 2006