Ryan Adams and the Cardinals are going to be on Letterman tonight, so those wanting to hear his new material without shelling out for it should check it out. Per the usual, I vowed that I wouldn't give Adams any more of my money, then broke down and bought this new disc, Cold Roses. It isn't bad, but reviews that call it meandering are spot on. The opener, "Magnolia Mountain," is a gorgeous slice of folk rock that wouldn't sound out of place on the Grateful Dead's American Beauty, but things are pretty hit and miss from there. Adams is one of the many songwriters out there who could use a good editor, as this is the first of three discs he plans this year. As has been the case with other wildly prolific artists like Robert Pollard and Will Oldham, skimming the cream off the top and limiting releases would greatly improve the quality of output. Then again, as long as there are dummies like me willing to part with $10 every time they feel the need to release a batch of demos and call it an album, there is little incentive to do so.