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Album Details

• Artist: Whiskeytown
• Album: Pneumonia
• Label: Lost Highway
• Year of Release: 2001
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: dscanland on 2003-04-01

If you were half as surprised and impressed with Stranger’s Almanac as I was, you would have been anticipating Pneumonia (aka The Album that’s never going to see the light of day) just like me. Pneumonia was not only the final album (the band pretty much disintegrated in the making of this album) but there ended up being quite a battle during the upheaval at Universal / Polygram. Well, now that Pneumonia is out and Whiskeytown is a band no longer, we can relish in one of a great bands finest moments. Yes, Stranger’s Almanac was a fine album with many great songs (remember “Sixteen Days�) but Pneumonia shows songwriter and lead singer, Ryan Adams, extending his abilities. The album, originally recorded in 1999, could almost be used as the definitive piece for the Americana or No Depression genre, outshining Jeff Tweedy or Jay Farrar fine songwriting. The songs don’t relish in country twang, although you will hear some of it, they instead soak up the country like a harsh moonshine and release the vapors as music. If you enjoyed any of Whiskeytown’s albums or Ryan Adams solo album, there is no doubt that you will think this album far superior.

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