As a bootleg, “The Suicide Handbook” has been sought after (in particular, high quality copies have been lacking)–and this year, it got an official release.

Let’s start with the elephant in the room: There is a lot (a LOT) of evidence to suggest that Ryan Adams is an @$$h0!#–at least to women. I’m going to acknowledge that first because I think it explains why most of the on-line outlets have been silent about this release–as well as most of the new material he’s released over the past 10 years. I’m not apologizing for him or ignoring that fact. I’m also not aware of any big scandals for many years now, so perhaps he’s learned that being a star doesn’t give you the right to treat people badly. But also, let’s move on. Lots of musicians’ private behavior is less-than-ideal, but they still craft songs well. This is a music site, not a political one.

So, how is the music? It’s about as good as Adams can get. It’s also pretty typical of his best period (that late ’90s/early ’00s era), in that you’ll find some brilliantly crafted, insightful love songs. Some will have a nice lilt and beat and move you along–and might even make you want to dance. Others will be quieter and slow and you’ll have to focus to really hear them. And a few more, of course, will be completely self-indulgent. That’s Ryan Adams in a nutshell. I’ve been a fan since his Whiskeytown days and I accept that I have to wade through some “must skip” songs on nearly every album. He just doesn’t have a good self-editor. But the bulk of this album is fantastic–and when it comes to slow songs, some of these are as good as any he’s done.

Most of the cuts will be new to you, but it’s worth noting the appearances of alternative versions of some of his best songs: La Cieniga Just Simplified; Touch, feel, lose; Firecracker … Several others.

I recommend this album if you liked his Nuclear-Heartbreaker period. The alternate versions of cuts off “Gold,” his most mainstream early record, recast those songs in the voice of that earlier work. Really great stuff and a reminder of why he was a legend–if only for a brief time, before his behavior caught up with him.

As a bootleg, “The Suicide Handbook” has been sought after (in particular, high quality copies have been lacking)–and this year, it got an official release. Let’s start with the elephant in the room: There is a lot (a LOT) of …