Young American singer/songwriter, Ryan Adams (no relation to Bryan - at least as far as I know) is the latest in a line of artists who have taken part in the very entertaining Music in High Places series. The stripped back feel of the series really suits Adams' style and songs. Favouring an acoustic, almost unplugged sound, the songs transpose brilliantly when stripped back even more, and when you throw in some of the local Jamaican influences, you have a very relaxed and groovy sound.

Adams was the vocalist for Whiskeytown, who effectively folded after losing all record company support with the merger of Universal and Polygram. Adams opted to go solo, and released his first solo album, Heartbreaker, on an independent label in September 2000. The album sold moderately when compared to the kind of sales some artists are used to, but there was enough interest for Adams to be afforded star status. He has since followed up that album with Gold in 2001, and Demolition in 2002.

Ryan Adams Live in Jamaica is primarily about music, but with a travelogue feel. Adams and his three acoustic playing mates (guitars, bass guitar, drums/percussion) are able to perform almost anywhere and in this special can be seen playing on the beach, in a market square and in the less than busy Jamaican back streets. You'll get to hear about some of Adams' passion straight from his own lips, and get an insider's look at the recording of Hard Time Situation with local reggae legend, Toots.

Those who like their music neat, relaxed, but still tight and professional, will enjoy these performances. Local musicians are featured in one or two of the tracks, and there is a look behind the scenes that doesn’t offer up anything radically enlightening, but sheds a little more light on Ryan Adams and his healthy attitude towards making music. And for the record, he sounds nothing like Bryan Adams.

This is an excellent and faultless video presentation. It is in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and is 16:9 enhanced. The picture is razor sharp, the colours are fantastic (and make the scenery even more glorious) and skin tones are excellent. There is no evidence of any noise, colour bleeding or edge enhancement, and even shimmer is non-existent. Black levels are solid and deep and shadow detail, while rarely in evidence, is also excellent. There is no layer change, and a perfect image is the result.

There are three audio options, being Dolby Digital 2.0, Dolby Digital 5.1, and easily the audio of choice, DTS 5.1. The DTS track is perfectly balanced but very laid back and mellow. The music being mostly acoustic, even the bass guitar, has no extra deep sounds, but the bass guitar is quite clearly there throughout. The acoustic guitars sound great, the percussion is both sharp and clean, and all vocals are clear and bright. There are no issues with synchronisation or volume. The spoken dialogue is mostly from the centre speaker, although there is some very infrequent overflow to the rear speakers that could have been a bit snappier, but is a minor issue. Musically, most of the sound comes from the front speakers with overflow to fill up the rears and the subwoofer is mostly silent. The Dolby Digital 5.1 is also good, but vocals and guitars do not sound as clean and as prominent. The Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo track is fine, and quite suits the stripped back sounds, but lacks the warmth and fulfilling sound of the DTS 5.1 track.

There are essentially three extras. The first is a featurette called Jamaica - The Real Story, which is a behind the scenes look at the filming of the special. It is in mono sound and an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, but not 16:9 enhanced. At 7:17 minutes it is much like many other behind the scenes looks and will please Ryan Adams fans, but is not essential viewing. The second featurette, Ryan & Toots, is a longer and more in-depth look at the recording session with local reggae legend Toots. Again, at over eight minutes there is nothing in here that is essential viewing. Just the Music allows you to play just the songs individually or you can use the 'Play All' option to do just that. Lastly, the Biography at just three pages is short but informative.

Fans of acoustic guitar singer/songwriters will really enjoy seeing Ryan Adams strumming it up in Jamaica. The music is mostly interesting, and at under an hour is not going to test your patience. While Adams may still be waiting for that really big break that may never come, at least the boy has a genuine talent to peddle, and that's more than can be said for many of today's so-called 'artists'.