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With Heartbreaker Ryan Adams turned his back on his band, Whiskeytown, and started a solo career. Something that seemed both crazy and natural at the time. And of course, when we all finally heard the album, we didn’t care anymore. Heartbreaker is filled with clever lyrics about lost love, neat acoustic guitar playing and great vocals throughout the album. “Oh, My Sweet Carolina” (which features Emmylou Harris) is combining piano and guitar with great results and stands as one of the greatest moments released in the year of 2000. “My Winding Wheel” and “Come Pick Me Up” are other centerpieces of the album. An album that is very low keyed and fragile which brings both Neil Young and Nick Drake to mind, but also the Rolling Stones and maybe some early-Paul Simon as well.
It doesn’t try to be grand or magnificent, but that is exactly what it manages to be trying avoiding it. It is magnificent and it is grand because of the subtle and thrifty arrangements. When that is combined with the lyrics, you start to feel like you are trespassing Adams' mind. He makes you reflect over yourself, with weaknesses and regrets, and brings his misery to you. He makes you feel his pain, until it’s your pain.
Track listing:
1. (Argument With David Rawlings Concerning Morrissey)
2. To Be Young Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High
3. My Winding Wheel
4. AMY
5. Oh, My Sweet Carolina
6. Bartering Lines
7. Call Me On Your Way Back Home
8. Damn, Sam (I Love A Woman That Rains)
9. Come Pick Me Up
10. To Be The One
11.Why Do They Leave?
12. Shakedown on 9th Street
13. Don’t Ask For The Water
14. In My Time of Need
15. Sweet Lil Gal
The follow-up to Adams well-received solo debut was first set out to be a double-album. The final product ended up as only one cd, but it’s still quite long. Some people complain about it, thinking there’s too many song to gasp and maybe one filler too many. I don’t mind, though. I like nearly all of the songs and I can’t find a stinker anywhere. There are songs that doesn’t grab a hold of you as hard and direct as others might, but if you give them some time, they’ll rise above the average, flying high above what is referred to as ‘filler’.
Adams recreates the sound and feeling from Heartbreaker on about half of these songs. Fans of the debut album will feel very much at home with Gold, but it’s also a bit lighter than Heartbreaker which welcomes new listeners as well. But Adams doesn’t repeat himself on every song. He mixes good old Dylan rock a’la “Absolutely Sweet Marie” in “Firecracker”, influences from The Rolling Stones and The Who are evident in “Nobody Girl” and “Gonna Make You Love Me More”. And whilst “Touch, Feel & Lose” are successful and catchy, it is the mellow moments that sticks with you.
“La Cienega Just Smiled” is beautiful to the extreme and the piano based closing number, “Goodnight, Hollywood Blvd” ends things with the way it should be. Slow, spare, honest, tender and pretty.
Track listing:
1. New York, New York
2. Firecracker
3. Answering Bell
4. La Cienega Just Smiled
5. The Rescue Blues
6. Somehow, Someday
7. When The Stars Go Blue
8. Nobody Girl
9. Sylvia Plath
10. Enemy Fire
11. Gonna Make You Love Me More
12. Wild Flowers
13. Harder Now That It’s Over
14. Touch, Feel & Lose
15. Tina Toledo’s Street Walk
16. Goodnight, Hollywood Blvd.
There are some pieces that finally finds it’s place in the puzzle thanks to Rock N Roll. Why would Ryan Adams disband Whiskeytown? The group created some wonderful music, not too far from the music Ryan released as a solo artist on Heartbreaker and Gold? Obviously, if this, Rock N Roll, was what Ryan wanted to do in the 90’s, he could never have done it with Whiskeytown. That band produced some good, enjoyable country-pop which isn’t even close to what Rock N Roll is about. Here it is clear influences from the punk rock of the 80’s, Oasis and the Smiths. Generally it makes me think of the 80’s. Not because awful synthesizer or awful drums, but because of the way the drums and the bass is placed in the mix, because of the guitar lines that runs through out.
The album’s lyrics also deals with the classic rock image Ryan Adams have tried to lived. I can’t really decide if his constant mention of drug use, loneliness and swearing is pure and honest or just a banal way to seem cool. Actually, it could also be a combination, which is why the energy is the thing that gets to me more so than the lyrics.
Even if half of the album comes off as boring and dumb, there are good songs here and there. The Smiths rip-off “So Alive”, for instance, which features a rarely heard falsetto vocal from Mr Adams. “Wish You Were Here” is the only ballad on the album, except the short title track, and is also a highlight. The fast and noisy Rolling Stones-number “1974” is also a good number for rock fans, even if I do believe Ryan has done better rock songs in the past.
I prefer Ryan Adams singing mellow songs. If that’s what you think too, Rock N Roll is not for you. He doesn’t embarrass himself or anything, but it’s a doubtful album released by one of the finest singer/songwriters of the 90’s. An EP was released simultaneously as the album, and another EP is due to be released. The EPs was meant to be an album but the record company refused to release it because it was too dark. Rock N Roll probably serves as some kind of compromise, and maybe that’s why the follow up to Gold isn’t as good as it could have been.
Track listing:
1. This Is It
2. Shallow
3. 1974
4. Wish You Were Here
5. So Alive
6. Luminol
7. Burning Photographers
8. She’s Lost Total Control
9. Note To Self: Don’t Die
10. Rock N Roll
11. Anybody Wanna Take Me Home
12. Do Miss America
13. Boys
14. The Drugs Not Working
BONUS TRACK:
15. Hypnotixed
After a couple of turbulent years, Adams offered his record company a new album. They rejected it for various reasons and when Ryan was asked to re-record the album, he simply recorded a completely new one. Rock N Roll was far from the introspective and thoughtful Adams his audience was used to and it received mixed reviews. However, Ryan Adams would not let go of the album he first had presented, now gathering dust in some vault. Finally a compromise was set; they would release the album, Love Is Hell, as two EP’s. Two EP’s that would not demand a lot of promotion or marketing. At least Adams would be somewhat calmer and easier to handle for the company.
This is the second EP, released a couple of weeks after Love Is Hell pt.1 and Rock N Roll. What’s ironic is that this, supposedly worse than the Rock N Roll-album and not good enough to be released at all (according to the record company) is 100% more affecting and resonant than Rock N Roll. Not only should it be considered as the rightful follow-up to Gold, but probably as the only true follow-up to the beautiful solo-debut; Heartbreaker.
Adams has been up to the same hights as on Heartbreaker on previous releases, but the albums have been quite inconsistent, and even though Gold is a fantastic record, I can see why some would be bored towards the end of it. On Love Is Hell pt.2 the listener runs no risk of boredom. It only posses nine songs (a lot for an EP, few to be considered an album. Adams’ EP’s are both longer than, for instance, The Strokes debut album, though.), but still manages to be diverse and grabbing. However, short releases always has weaknesses a longer release could have avoided. Most notable is how much more vulnerable an EP is compared to an album. If an album contains one or two fillers, there are material good enough to make up for it. After all, only one misstep out of 12-14 songs is generally accepted and quite a feat. When the album is shorter one misstep out of 9 songs has a greater effect. And I tell you, if Love Is Hell pt.2 had skipped the angry, loud and annoying “Fuck The Universe” it would definitely have gotten a 9/10 rating. If it had replaced it with one or two of the stronger tracks from volume one... well, we can only guess. What is clear is that the record company made a huge mistake by not releasing the two EP’s as one album. It would have made a stronger impact and the impression overall would probably have been extremely impressive.
Love Is Hell pt.2 is highly enjoyable as it is, though. The piano underneath Adams tender vocals in the opening “My Blue Manhattan” is flirting with a very tasteful cello and minimalistic acoustic guitar picking. The conflicting feelings that can, and usually does, appear during an intense relationship is expressed with excellent precision in “Please Do Not Let Me Go”, highlighted by gorgeous, spare piano and an affecting steel guitar. The strongest track is the paranoid and melodically strong “I See Monsters”, featuring crisp fingerpicked guitar that along with Adams’ arguably finest vocal performance on the CD forces even his worst critics to admit that he possesses the mysterious it.
“Hotel Chelsea Nights” and “Thank You Louise” does not pass by unnoticed either, two strong ballads that breathes with all sorts of melancholic spirits. The relatively up-tempo “English Girls Approximately” features Marianne Faithful on backing vocals, and she does a good job. Her contribution combined with Adams’ simple, but direct songwriting makes it seem like a cross between The Velvet Underground and Bruce Springsteen.
The only weak track is the already mentioned “Fuck The Universe”, but that one is supposed to be regarded as a bonus track. You might ignore it if you wish. A bonus track on an EP? Oh well, I guess he does his best to get out all of the songs the company (Lost Highway) rejected for the album. Love Is Hell pt.2 boarders towards classic status, and taken in context with Love Is Hell pt.1, the two EP’s should be the most obvious choices, in favor of the lesser Rock N Roll.
[Note: Now you see what happens if you start changing stuff. A less good collection of songs gets all the
attention, whilst the supremely better is tucked away into the shadows. I’m glad The Beatles kept The White Album as
it was!]
Track listing:
1. My Blue Manhattan
2. Please Do Not Let Me Gow
3. City Rain, City Streets
4. I See Monsters
5. English Girls Approximately
6. Thank You Louise
7. Hotel Chelsea Nights
8. Fuck The Universe
9. Twice As Bad As Love
After the huge success with the two first albums, Ryan Adams’ career started to fade. The release of a collection of demos (Demolition) suggested that the never-ending stream of songs started to run dry, whilst the following album Rock ‘N’ Roll was the proof of a weary and lost artist. There are some mitigating circumstances, though, considering that the album Ryan Adam’s himself wanted to release as the proper follow-up to Gold was rejected by his record company because it, in their opinion, was “too dark”. After some compromising and (most probably) bad sales, Adams was finally allowed to release the album he had favored, if only split up as two EP’s (Love Is Hell pt. 1 and Love Is Hell pt. 2). The following year the company caved in completely and here are the two EP’s presented as an album and promoted as “the way Ryan Adams intended it”.
Rock ‘N’ Roll was treated unfair by the critics, but there is no doubt Love Is Hell is the better album. In fact, had the first half been closer to the quality of the second part, Love Is Hell would definitely rank as Adams’ best album, second only to the stunning debut Heartbreaker. That said, the first songs are far from bad. They just lack that little extra touch of magic. “Afraid Not Scared” is the best song, along with “Anybody Wanna Take Me Home” and the title track. The latter two reminding of some of the more pop-styled songs from Rock ‘N’ Roll, which means The Smiths-influenced guitars and decent, singable choruses.
There is a saying that grand people arrives late. The same goes here. It’s not until the sixth track the first highlight enters. And it is a cover. The huge 90’s-hit, “Wonderwall”, is an interesting choice by Adams. Especially since the original was made by the people who reinstalled the bad-attitude in the music world and Adams haven’t exactly tried to be an angel himself. Whilst the Oasis-version was a big pop song, here it’s a low-keyed, almost shy, version with just a guitar and a cello, highlighted with a beautiful falsetto-delivery. From that point on, the album stays on a winning streak pretty much the whole way through. Whether it is up-tempo folk (“English Girls Approximately”), stripped down piano-ballads (“Hotel Chelsea Nights”, which lends more than it’s fair share from Prince’s “Purple Rain”) or the ordinary Heartbreaker-dilemma (“Please Do Not Let Me Go”) the emotional impact is hard to reject or ignore. The very best tracks are the jazzy “My Blue Manhattan” and the Elliott Smith-sounding “I See Monsters”.
Love Is Hell proves that Ryan Adams still is an artist to count on in the future. And it is proved in a most beautiful way.
Track listing:
1. Political Scientist
2. Afraid Not Scared
3. This House Is Not For Sale
4. Anybody Wanna Take Me Home
5. Love Is Hell
6. Wonderwall
7. The Shadowlands
8. World War 24
9. Avalanche
10. My Blue Manhattan
11. Please Do Not Let Me Go
12. City Rain, City Streets
13. I See Monsters
14. English Girls Approximately
15. Hotel Chelsea Nights
After throwing people out from his concerts (people mistook him for Bryan), falling off stage and breaking his arm, threatening critics, fighting with his record company and seemingly being completely out of control because of a big-headed madness both in his professional and personal-life, it seemed like Ryan’s career headed for a sad-ending. Instead, he lands on his feet (again) in the company of The Cardinals. Cold Roses is a double-album, which calls for a certain amount of fillers, and is far from perfect. Especially the lyrics suffers from a sentimental and nearly teenager-like poetry that Adams previously avoided fairly well (he did fall into nonchalant rock-clichés on Rock ‘N’ Roll, though). Reading the lyrics in the booklet is close to embarrassing, but it is different when the lyrics are set to music. The music is so easy to embrace and the words flows perfectly to the often gorgeous melodies that the poor quality doesn’t bother the slightest in the end. The words may have come off as a strife, but the record has some of Adams’ most beautiful titles (“Meadowlake Street”, “Cherry Lane”, “Magnolia Mountain”).
The Cardinals’ contribution is not to be forgotten. Along with Heartbreaker, they turn Cold Roses into Adams’ most organic, warm and close-up album so far. This is without a doubt a step back towards Whiskeytown’s familiar country-fied, singer/songwriter-pop. And thanks to The Cardinals solid backing there are no bad moments. When it works, it really works and leaves us with some of the finest songs Ryan ever came up with. “Let It Ride”, “Now That You’re Gone”, “Meadowlake Street”, “Blossom” and especially the rolling “Life Is Beautiful” makes it hard to keep this album away from your stereo for a longer period of time. Despite being somewhat overlong (he should probably have scratched a few songs, making it a single-album instead), I cannot help but surrender. Although Love Is Hell is a very good album, Cold Roses still manages to feel like a welcomed comeback-album in the vein of already mentioned Whiskeytown along with The Band, Bob Dylan, Steve Earle, Elliott Smith, Nirvana (unplugged), Bruce Springsteen and, of course, Neil Young.
Apparently Cold Roses is part of a trilogy and the other two albums are planned to be released later this year. I guess the never-ending stream of songs still runs freely and as long as The Cardinals stays, there’s no reason to give up hopes for more good music.
Track listing:
DISC 1:
1. Magnolia Mountain
2. Sweet Illusions
3. Meadowlake Street
4. When Will You Come Back Home
5. Beautiful Sorta
6. Now That You’re Gone
7. Cherry Lane
8. Mockingbird
9. How Do You Keep Love Alive
DISC 2:
1. Easy Plateau
2. Let It Ride
3. Rosebud
4. Cold Roses
5. If I Am A Stranger
6. Dance All Night
7. Blossom
8. Life Is Beautiful
9. Friends
BONUS TRACK:
10. Tonight
The third album of the year from Adams received mixed reviews, some said it was his best so far (Uncut magazine earned it 5 stars out of 5 possible and Mojo included it in its Top 50 albums of 2005 list), but many complained as well. Overkill and unnecessary were frequently used words. Me, I think it’s almost as if the nay-sayers had decided beforehand that it is impossible to release three good albums in less than 12 months. Yet, that is exactly what Ryan Adams has done. None of them may be flat out masterpieces, but they’re all good and at least two of them very good. The last brick, 29, is the shortest with its nine songs and it finds Ryan going back to a sound reminiscing to Love Is Hell rather than the country-flavored Jacksonville City Nights. Some songs with an atmosphere so fragile and sensitive and present that you could almost touch it, but don’t dare to. You might break it.
Particularly striking is the Harvest Moon-meets-“Tangled Up In Blue” ballad “Strawberry Wine” and the beauty that lies within the piano based “Blue Sky Blues” and “Starlite Diner”. The desperate electric rocker “The Sadness” with flamenco touches sounds like it was made to be a part of a Tarantino movie and reminds slightly of the desert poppers Calexico, whilst opening “29” is an updated homage to the legendary Sun recordings, Scotty Moore, Highway 61 Revisited and a little “On The Road Again”-melody. Also, the closing “Voices” sounds just like acoustic Tom Yorke and is a perfect way to end the record.
Although some songs do sound too similar, the album is diverse and yet it manages to form a unit. Ryan Adams may not have ended 2005 with an undisputed grand slam, but he did put his money where his mouth is regarding his creativity and at the same time challenged the contemporary laws about music marketing. One might argue that quality wise it should have been better to pile off the weaker tracks and combine the three albums into one or maybe two albums. However, the mood and sense is so different between the three records that it just wouldn’t fit very well. And after all, the albums are fine they way they are. Stand up and take a bow, Mr. Adams.
Track listing:
1. Twenty Nine
2. Strawberry Wine
3. Night Birds
4. Blue Sky Blues
5. Carolina Rain
6. Starlite Diner
7. The Sadness
8. Elizabeth, You Were Born To Play That Part
9. Voices