Pneumonia

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Product description ------------------- Whiskeytown - Pneumonia - Cd .com ---- In their brief, volatile tenure as a working band--which spawned just two proper albums, Faithless Street ( /exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000C2BX/%24%7B0%7D ) (1995) and Strangers Almanac ( /exec/obidos/ASIN/B000002RBZ/%24%7B0%7D ) (1997)--Whiskeytown never quite fulfilled their considerable promise. But prior to their ultimate split, the band made a record that was buried for nearly three years by industry snafus. Pneumonia was well worth the wait. The band's final lineup (singer and songwriter Ryan Adams ( /exec/obidos/ts/artist-glance/209748/%24%7B0%7D ), violinist Caitlin Cary ( /exec/obidos/ts/artist-glance/216318/%24%7B0%7D ), and guitarist Mike Daly) is augmented by special guests such as Tommy Stinson of the Replacements ( /exec/obidos/ts/artist-glance/54637/%24%7B0%7D ) and James Iha of Smashing Pumpkins ( /exec/obidos/ts/artist-glance/41919/%24%7B0%7D ). Sure, Adams doesn't quite grasp what he's reaching for on the Latin-tinged "Paper Moon," and "Sit & Listen to the Rain" is about as exciting as its title suggests. But "Jacksonville Skyline," a hometown ode that's sweetly nostalgic but hardly naive, easily ranks among Adams's best ballads. And don't bother trying to elude the hooks of the bouncy kiss-off "Don't Wanna Know Why" or the polished piano pop of "Mirror, Mirror." While it's unfortunate that the reliably unreliable Whiskeytown didn't live to see the release of their most consistent disc, Pneumonia is a harbinger of still better things to come from both Adams and Cary. --Anders Smith-Lindall