of what I had. And it felt good, to ask: 'What am I really capable of?' I felt competitive again to write great songs." Recording Ashes & Fire was recorded at Sunset Sound Studios in Hollywood California, using analog equipment. Amongst the album's contributors are Norah Jones, Benmont Tench, and former Cardinals guitarist Neal Casal. Casal later commented on working with Adams again, noting, "He’s in fine form. I will always have a connection with him. It doesn’t go away just because you don’t play in the same band anymore." Reception So far the album holds a score of 76 out of 100 from Metacritic based on 38 "generally favorable reviews". Most of the reviews were positive. IGN gave the album a perfect score of ten out of ten and said, "Adams' latest is the focused masterpiece fans have been waiting for, holding your undivided attention with an enchanting set of acoustic-based treasures that rival anything the songsmith has ever crafted." The Phoenix gave it a score of three-and-a-half stars out of four and called it "as close as it gets to the brilliance of his first post-Whiskeytown offering, Heartbreaker." Paste gave it a score of 8.2 out of ten and called it "pretty damn good". Uncut gave it four stars out of five and called it "an understated gem". The Boston Globe gave it a favorable review and called it a "lovely, low-key effort". NME gave it a score of eight out of ten and called it "an album worth celebrating now." The Quietus also gave it a favorable review and said it has "a softer collection of songs, harnessing more sincerity than his last two general-release LPs (as opposed to Orion, which was online-only), Easy Tiger and Cardinology." Clash also gave it a score of eight out of ten and called it "a haunting album that truly reveals Adams' bruised soul." musicOMH also gave it a score of four stars out of five and said "It may put people off who were more attracted to Adams' more tortured side, but Ashes & Fire makes for a compelling reboot for a man who could, once more, become a contender." Alternative Press gave it a similar score of four stars out of five and said, "The recordings have the warmth and pop of a vinyl record, creating a perfect environment for Adams to honor his influences." Consequence of Sound also