The last and best of the three Whiskeytown albums that Ryan Adams recorded before the band fell apart and he followed his own star.
Initially intended as a double album Whiskeytown are rumoured to have recorded over 100 songs before eventually reducing it down to the 14 here. It was recorded in 1999 but took nearly two years to see the light of day as the band lost their label and record deal as part of the Universal's merger with Polygram. By the time it was released the band had split, Adams gone solo, released his solo debut 'Heartbreaker' and was about to release its follow up 'Gold'.
Like all Adams greatest albums PNEUMONIA is infused with that alt country sound - a low-fi version on country music with almost a punk rock attitude to the genre which usually favours big slick productions and cliched overwrought lyricism. That's all ditched in favour of a raw, more rock 'n' roll production.
But unlike Whiskeytown's previous albums there's a lot more gentle pop and rock 'n' roll so in that sense it's closer in sound to Ryan's first two solo albums. And it's as good as either of them.
It veers from straight country ballads ('Under Your Breath'), through to loose Stones rock ('Crazy About You') but along the way takes in E.L.O.-esque pop ('Mirror, Mirror'), eerie lullabies ('What The Devil Wanted') and the kind of orchestratral swooning cheesy-listening that Andy Williams could have sung - the delightful 'Paper Moon'.
'Don't Be Sad' is my favourite. It's a luscious country pop song that was co-written by Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha, who also plays on it. It's one of Adams' best songs, of it he's said: "I think there's a duality in that song. I think on one hand, it's saying, 'Hang on, we'll get through this,' but deep down, we know we're not going to get through it at all. I don't know. Damn, that song just kinda says it all, doesn't it?"
Adams a prolific writer and has released at least one album for every year since Whiskeytown split - three in 2005 and one of those a double! - but I'm not sure any of them have come close to Heartbreaker, Gold and PNEUMONIA.
'DON'T BE SAD'
'PAPER MOON'
'JACKSONVILLE SKYLINE'
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