8/10

Very few individuals in the music industry have had as many issues as Ryan Adams in the last few years. After releasing his novel Taylor Swift tribute album of '1989' covers in 2015, Adams has since gone through a divorce, entered ongoing therapy for mental illness, and continues to have issues with both tinnitus and Meniere's disease. But despite his own personal problems, Ryan Adams has always been able to articulate himself within music, and this is just what we experience in his latest album 'Prisoner'.

Opening up with the powerful, if not on the nose, tribute to his former wife on the track 'Do You Still Love Me?', the record continues off on a journey of self-discovery and nostalgia as Adams looks to rebuild the confident and bold sound of his initial material. Now sixteen records into his career, it is obvious that he has worked through many guises in the past, but this new record manages to rekindle that almost forgotten fire that launched his career and deliver something of hope and promise for the future.

If Ryan Adams is suffering as much as people think, then this album certainly doesn't show it. The positive outlook and disposition on this record is potent throughout each and every song, not only making an uplifting release for the listener but also giving context his own situations.