Ryan Adams is prolific and restless. His tenure with Whiskeytown and his 2000 solo debut provided passionate and personal alt-country gems like the melancholy “Come Pick Me Up” and the Dylan-esque “Jacksonville Skyline”. On 2001's Gold, he flexed his Van Morrison and Bruce Springsteen muscles, and the stirring “New York, New York” became a post-9/11 anthem. Punk, country, classic rock, even Britpop and Taylor Swift (check out his affecting cover of Oasis' “Wonderwall” and his track-for-track remake of Swift's 1989) all factor into the deep songbook of this adventurous artist, who's unafraid to expose his demons in heart-rending tunes.