A dysfunctional whirlwind of talent and ego, Ryan Adams is a hero in the alternative country world, the epitome of the authentic songwriter culling stories from his crazy life and turning them into rugged anthems of pain. He also has a tendency towards grandiosity, and here he indulges his inner rock star too much. Gimme Something Good and Trouble are finely constructed, drive-time rockers that could have come from the pen of that other Adams, Bryan, but they lack the flashes of wit and humility that made (Ryan) Adams stand out in the first place. My Wrecking Ball is a pretty ballad, but it’s buried in an album that’s aimed squarely at the mainstream. (Columbia, out Mon)