Patrick Ryan

USA TODAY

Well, it's a step forward from 1989.

Lest you've forgotten, Ryan Adams proclaimed himself the ultimate "Swiftie" in fall 2015, when he released a track-by-track cover album of Taylor Swift's gleaming foray into pop. Although it effectively brought Swift's vivid lyrics and undeniable hooks to the forefront, the sleepy, acoustic-rock slog more or less drained the life out of one of pop's best-crafted efforts in recent years.

So it's a relief that Adams returns to original material on follow-up Prisoner (**1/2 out of ****), out Friday, his 16th album and first collection of new music since his divorce from actress Mandy Moore was finalized last year. Though he takes no risks sonically, the dissolution of their six-year marriage provides a fascinating lens through which to read this next chapter.

The 42-year-old singer/songwriter sets the scene with the stomping Do You Still Love Me?, as he ponders what went wrong and attempts to salvage the dying embers of their relationship. Recalling an '80s-era Bruce Springsteen on the harmonica-assisted title track and Doomsday, Adams fights to hold on, singing on the latter, "My love, we can do better than this / My love, how can you complicate a kiss?" It's an aching sentiment that eventually turns into defeat on Shiver and Shake, in which he describes the physical distress of heartbreak and how if "I wait here any longer, I'll just fade away."

After a stirring first half, Prisoner treads into less affecting territory in its second, as Adams continues to wallow in pain while offering little insight into what may have actually transpired between them. The exceptions are Breakdown, a morose guitar ballad that veraciously captures the hopelessness that comes with breakups; and album closer We Disappear, in which he painfully takes a stab at closure, conceding, "You deserve a future and you know I'll never change."

With the exception of a serene saxophone solo on the sanguine Tightrope, Prisoner hews closer to the bare-bones arrangements of 2011's Ashes & Fire than his more rock-heavy self-titled album in 2014. Some fans may gripe that Adams is simply doing more of the same, but overall, it's a solid, sincere addition to his prolific catalog.

Download: Do You Still Love Me?, Shiver and Shake, Breakdown