I’ve always liked Ryan Adams as much for his music as for the train wreck aspect of it all — the indefinable singer/songwriter’s story is just too rich with twists and turns to not get a little caught up. From the notorious “Summer of ‘69″ incident to the time he fell off stage and broke his arm mid-performance — you never know how many different renditions of the same song he may play in a row or what he will say, but you know a Ryan Adams concert will be an experience. Mix in all of his studio antics of late, the hundreds of free tracks of him dabbling in new genres, and you get a modern singer unlike any other.

And Tuesday night at New York City’s Hiro Ballroom proved that on top of all that, Ryan Adams can really sing. That’s not to say his vocals weren’t spot-on before — he’s always been great in the studio (and live) with his vocals at times reaching stellar heights, but largely they have just been a piece of a larger puzzle. Because of an apparent skateboarding accident, the singer hasn’t been playing guitar during performances lately, allowing him to really focus on his the absolute highlight of the Hiro show: his vocals.

Playing the lounge-lizard role, Adams crooned his way through a 19-song career-spanning set backed by the Cardinals. It was a mellow-affair, devoid of electric guitars and spotlighting Adams’ consistently soaring vocals. Instead of the usual rock schtick that Adams has been largely forcing since Rock N Roll, Adams seemed content to sit on a stool and let the music and vocals speak for themselves.

The show marked the release of Easy Tiger, the singer’s first studio effort since the wildly prolific year he had in 2005, and the new tunes fit nicely alongside older tracks like “My Winding Wheel” and “Goodnight, Hollywood Blvd”; there was also a prevalence of tracks from the last of his ‘05 trifecta, the piano-driven melodious “29″ — which is no surprise given the circumstances of a laid-back show in an venue with benches installed to help give the show a more intimate feel.

Even with the terrific abilities the Cardinals showcased, with perfect harmonies supplied by Neal Casal and great fills from drummer Brad Pemberton, the focus was completely on Ryan’s vocals, with the show proving that he has maybe the best in the business.

That is, when he’s sober, stable and drama-free.

Tuesday night’s setlist:
“The Sun Also Sets”
“Please Do Not Let Me Go”
“Oh My God, Whatever, Etc.”
“Let It Ride”
“Dear John”
“Nightbirds”
“Two”
“Rip Off”
“Carolina Rain”
“Elizabeth”
“I See Monsters”
“Blue Hotel”
“Halloween Head”
“Starlite Diner”
“How Do You Keep Love Alive?”
“My Winding Wheel”
“Blue Sky Blues”
“Goodnight Hollywood Blvd”
Encore: “Down in a Hole” (Alice in Chains cover)

(photo by Underrated Blog via flickr)