Ryan Adams

Infuriating little fella, Adams. Dedicated followers of his country rock have been rewarded with sozzled gig fiascos, false retirements and, more recently, 18 downloadable albums’ worth of farting about under the names DJ Reggie and The Shit. He’s slammed for this prolific work ethic, and yet the three proper albums he released in 2005 were all consistently great. By contrast, the much-hailed (by US critics anyway) ‘Easy Tiger’ is a pleasant but predictable plod through mid-life MORicana. ‘Two’ and ‘Off Broadway’ are heartstring-tugging highlights and the stadium Nashville schtick works once (on ‘Halloweenhead’), but his many personas have made for an oddly characterless record. By the end you’re yearning for DJ Reggie to turn up pissed and start rapping.

Sam Richards