Adams’ ambivalent relationship with his home state is captured beautifully in “Oh My Sweet Carolina,” featuring guest turns from Emmylou Harris and Pat Sansone from Wilco, but it’s more than that. The song captures the restless nature of young adulthood, when the desire to roam and the pull of deep roots battle for supremacy. “I was trying to find me something / But I wasn’t sure just what / Man I ended up with pockets full of dust,” he sings. We’ve all been there, and even if we haven’t Miss Emmylou’s harmonies are enough to make us feel like we have been.

Ambivalent, indeed.