drummer-producer Ethan Johns, Pneumonia is a strong collection of Wilco-like ballads and pop-ish midtempo musings on love, loss and life lessons. Songs such as the heartfelt "Ballad of Carol Lynn," the near-flawless "Jacksonville Skyline" and the playful "Mirror Mirror" feature Adams' sometimes slouchy, other times soulful singing. Backed by acoustic-guitar rambles, subtle backbeats, the occasional barroom piano riff and the sweet drift of Cary's fiddle, Adams paints soundscapes rich in detail and narrative. Pneumonia sometimes gets bogged down in its succession of moody, slow-groove numbers. Still, it's a nice farewell from a band that was at the forefront of today's thriving alt-country scene. (RS 869 - May 24, 2001)

ROBERT SANTELLI