Okay, it's been a few weeks since I last blogged and blabbed about my love of Ryan Adams and I've listened to "Easy Tiger" enough to get sick of it, fall back in love with it, then settle it into a typical musical rotation on my iPod. Time for a review.
Simply put: solid effort with modest staying power.
Of course, that's not too much fun to simply leave it at that, so let's take this on track-by-track.
Track 1: "Goodnight Rose."
A fairly rousing opening number that takes after Adams' Grateful Dead influenced (or ripped-off, depending on your prospective) songs from "Cold Roses." It has some solid, concise lyrical machinations "Get out of that dress/Get into bed/the bar is closed," that paint a pretty picture of a struggle for normalcy in a chaotic domestic life. Still, some clunky lines that don't age well ("And maybe we'll win the whole shebang" anyone? Didn't think so), and the repetitive chorus (a problem throughout the album) drag it into B-level Grateful Dead rip-offs. Worse, I never really liked the Grateful Dead in the first place. Let's just move on.
Track 2: "Two"
Two is the first and probably last single from the album. Early reports pegged it as a potential hit, but only because it had Sheryl Crow and the potential to relive that horrible Crow-Kid Rock duet from a few years back. Well, the song is definately not a hit, but it is pretty catchy. Also, sadly, harmless. There's nothing edgy about the song and the chorus is, yikes, mines a thousand hits ("It Takes Two." I mean, Springsteen was acused of ripping that off in 1980!). It reminds me of some of the (better) songs off of "Demolition," but it's not a particular stand-out. Worth mentioning that it's an outstanding vocal performance.
Track 3: "Everybody Knows."
A pretty solid love sick heartbroken song that Adams always does pretty well. It feels like it should be one of those songs you want to play a thousand times a day, but it unfortuntely finds a way to get lost in "Easy Tiger." The chorus' melody isn't particularly catchy (more of a rock-dirge), but its lyrics are inspired and creative ("You and I together/but only one of us in love/ and Everybody Knows"). It's the kind of lyric that hints to so much, yet leaves it hidden behind a wall of unique vagueness. Still, it doesn't quite have that "wow, I've never heard that before!" quality that most Adams' albums contain. It's kind of forgettable, but pretty damn catchy, too (that's not really meant to make sense).
Track 4: "Holloweenhead."
I was fully prepared to hate this song the moment I heard the title. How stupid. Worse, when the song started it sounded like so many of Adams' throw-away garage rockers that I usually hate ("Beautiful Sorta" being the perfect example). Well, this is the first song on the album that I instantly loved and continues to make me smile everytime I hear it. As far as I can tell it's a song about addiction, and the stupid things we sometimes do even when we know we shouldn't. But really, it's just a funny tune with a damn catchy melody and some great verses. I have a feeling I might get sick of this song soon, but certainly not yet. Might be worth noting that my wife (who loves most Ryan Adams' stuff, doesn't care much for this track. Go figure, she loves "Beautiful Sorta," so hey.
Track 5: "Oh My God, Whatever, Etc."
Oh My God, it's another solo guitar Ryan Adams downtrodden song. Whatever, etc. This is the type of song that lovers of "Heartbreaker" always wish he'd write more of, and the type of song he puts at least one of on each album, and the type of song I'm completely sick of listening to. It's not a bad track, just more of the same. Does have a great lyrics and some awesome vocals, but I feel like Adams could write five of these things a day (and he probably does).
Track 6: "Tears of Gold"
There's a decent chance that this song was written for "Jacksonville City Lights" and I certainly don't have a problem with that, except that it does feel more like an outtake than a deserving track. I have no problem with old twangy country, but it's not my favorite style, and the lyrics here don't provide a lot more worth paying attention to ("Where the one day we are strong/By the next day we are weak." Boring). Nothing wrong here, just nothing that I'd wait 3 minutes to IM my friend in 2001.
Track 7: "The Sun Also Sets."
Okay, now this is a lovely tune. It just grows and grows and grows on you. It's the kind of song that might have been on "Heartbreaker" that I would definately have enjoyed and still be listening to (like "Sweet Caroline" or even, dare I say it, "Come Pick Me Up.") The only problem? It's not quite in the same league with those other tunes. Why? The lyrics drag it down, badly. I worry Adams had nothing to say. ("I didn't know that people faded out/That people fade out so fast.") Hmm, not so excellent. Still, there's isn't all lyric disaster here. Heck, I'm knitpicking. Get this off of iTunes today. If you can't liked this track after 6 listens, you won't like typical Ryan Adams. At least check out his voice near the end of the track. Good stuff.
Track 8: "Off Broadway."
This song was written in 2001 for a bootleg called "The Suicide Handbook." A great song in bootleg version, okay in full production onslaught. I still can't get over Adams' (anti?) melodic alteration to the chorus, but it's still a great tune about, as Pitchfork said, "about being lost in your own town." Short, sweet, and sad. I'm glad he resurrected it.
Track 9: "Pearls on a String."
Now we're cooking! Three great songs in a row! My favorite Adams songs are the psuedo bluegrass numbers he writes every now and then. His voice is best experienced over a banjo picking, and he proves it again here with "Pearls on a String." It's not quite as good as my favorite in this genre ("Chin Up, Cheer Up." Don't even get me started talking about that song), but it's still pretty good. If you like the style, give it a whirl.
Track 10: "Rip Off."
Funny for Adams to use the biggest complaint about him as a song title. Doesn't help the fact that this song is pretty boring. There's some greats lines and a nice backing track, but the chorus is trash (repeating "At least I wasn't a rip-off" over and over again? Sorry, I'm not interested).
Track 11: "Two Hearts."
Nice song, great tune, good lyrics (although there's approximately 2,000 songs titled "Two Hearts" out there). Nothing spectacular; the kind of song that, if it was written by a popular musician 20 years ago would be a guaranteed top-10 hit. Kind of a forgettable song as far as Adams is concerned, but nothing to complain about.
Track 12: "These Girls"
Another unreleased tune from half a decade ago (kind of worrisome for someone usually so prolific, honestly) and another great one. Like "Oh My God, Whatever, etc." it copies the guitar-solo style from "Heartbreaker," but much more effectively here. I love this song, and the lyrics are dynamite. Good stuff.
Track 13: "I Taught Myself How to Grow Old."
This song sounds a lot like my two favorite Adams closing songs (both from the same album, incidentally, the double album "Cold Roses"). I spend a few weeks deciding on whether or not I liked it better or worse than "Friends" and "How Do You Keep Love Alive?" before realizing that I don't. Still, it's a good song and a lyric that reminds the audience that Ryan Adams is getting older and wiser.
So, where does the album rate as a whole? Pretty well, but also probably in the middle of the pack as far as the rest of the Ryan Adams catalog. Like all his albums, it feels like an "album," meaning that it has its own style and feel unique from all his other albums. Still, the songwriting isn't nearly as dynamic as past albums, and some of the lyrics are even more sloppy than usual. Here's my final ordering for all the Ryan Adams's albums, from best to worse.
Gold (2001)
Cold Roses (2005)
Pneumonia (Whiskeytown, 2001)
Demolition (2003)
Heartbreaker (every music critic's favorite, 2000)
Jacksonville City Nights (2005)
Easy Tiger (2007, remains right in the middle! How 'bout that!)
Stranger’s Almanac (Whiskeytown, 1997)
48 Hours (bootleg, 2002ish)
Love is Hell, Vol.1 and 2 (EP’s, 2003)
Rock N Roll (2003)
Faithless Street (1996)
29 (2005)
Simply put: solid effort with modest staying power.
Of course, that's not too much fun to simply leave it at that, so let's take this on track-by-track.
Track 1: "Goodnight Rose."
A fairly rousing opening number that takes after Adams' Grateful Dead influenced (or ripped-off, depending on your prospective) songs from "Cold Roses." It has some solid, concise lyrical machinations "Get out of that dress/Get into bed/the bar is closed," that paint a pretty picture of a struggle for normalcy in a chaotic domestic life. Still, some clunky lines that don't age well ("And maybe we'll win the whole shebang" anyone? Didn't think so), and the repetitive chorus (a problem throughout the album) drag it into B-level Grateful Dead rip-offs. Worse, I never really liked the Grateful Dead in the first place. Let's just move on.
Track 2: "Two"
Two is the first and probably last single from the album. Early reports pegged it as a potential hit, but only because it had Sheryl Crow and the potential to relive that horrible Crow-Kid Rock duet from a few years back. Well, the song is definately not a hit, but it is pretty catchy. Also, sadly, harmless. There's nothing edgy about the song and the chorus is, yikes, mines a thousand hits ("It Takes Two." I mean, Springsteen was acused of ripping that off in 1980!). It reminds me of some of the (better) songs off of "Demolition," but it's not a particular stand-out. Worth mentioning that it's an outstanding vocal performance.
Track 3: "Everybody Knows."
A pretty solid love sick heartbroken song that Adams always does pretty well. It feels like it should be one of those songs you want to play a thousand times a day, but it unfortuntely finds a way to get lost in "Easy Tiger." The chorus' melody isn't particularly catchy (more of a rock-dirge), but its lyrics are inspired and creative ("You and I together/but only one of us in love/ and Everybody Knows"). It's the kind of lyric that hints to so much, yet leaves it hidden behind a wall of unique vagueness. Still, it doesn't quite have that "wow, I've never heard that before!" quality that most Adams' albums contain. It's kind of forgettable, but pretty damn catchy, too (that's not really meant to make sense).
Track 4: "Holloweenhead."
I was fully prepared to hate this song the moment I heard the title. How stupid. Worse, when the song started it sounded like so many of Adams' throw-away garage rockers that I usually hate ("Beautiful Sorta" being the perfect example). Well, this is the first song on the album that I instantly loved and continues to make me smile everytime I hear it. As far as I can tell it's a song about addiction, and the stupid things we sometimes do even when we know we shouldn't. But really, it's just a funny tune with a damn catchy melody and some great verses. I have a feeling I might get sick of this song soon, but certainly not yet. Might be worth noting that my wife (who loves most Ryan Adams' stuff, doesn't care much for this track. Go figure, she loves "Beautiful Sorta," so hey.
Track 5: "Oh My God, Whatever, Etc."
Oh My God, it's another solo guitar Ryan Adams downtrodden song. Whatever, etc. This is the type of song that lovers of "Heartbreaker" always wish he'd write more of, and the type of song he puts at least one of on each album, and the type of song I'm completely sick of listening to. It's not a bad track, just more of the same. Does have a great lyrics and some awesome vocals, but I feel like Adams could write five of these things a day (and he probably does).
Track 6: "Tears of Gold"
There's a decent chance that this song was written for "Jacksonville City Lights" and I certainly don't have a problem with that, except that it does feel more like an outtake than a deserving track. I have no problem with old twangy country, but it's not my favorite style, and the lyrics here don't provide a lot more worth paying attention to ("Where the one day we are strong/By the next day we are weak." Boring). Nothing wrong here, just nothing that I'd wait 3 minutes to IM my friend in 2001.
Track 7: "The Sun Also Sets."
Okay, now this is a lovely tune. It just grows and grows and grows on you. It's the kind of song that might have been on "Heartbreaker" that I would definately have enjoyed and still be listening to (like "Sweet Caroline" or even, dare I say it, "Come Pick Me Up.") The only problem? It's not quite in the same league with those other tunes. Why? The lyrics drag it down, badly. I worry Adams had nothing to say. ("I didn't know that people faded out/That people fade out so fast.") Hmm, not so excellent. Still, there's isn't all lyric disaster here. Heck, I'm knitpicking. Get this off of iTunes today. If you can't liked this track after 6 listens, you won't like typical Ryan Adams. At least check out his voice near the end of the track. Good stuff.
Track 8: "Off Broadway."
This song was written in 2001 for a bootleg called "The Suicide Handbook." A great song in bootleg version, okay in full production onslaught. I still can't get over Adams' (anti?) melodic alteration to the chorus, but it's still a great tune about, as Pitchfork said, "about being lost in your own town." Short, sweet, and sad. I'm glad he resurrected it.
Track 9: "Pearls on a String."
Now we're cooking! Three great songs in a row! My favorite Adams songs are the psuedo bluegrass numbers he writes every now and then. His voice is best experienced over a banjo picking, and he proves it again here with "Pearls on a String." It's not quite as good as my favorite in this genre ("Chin Up, Cheer Up." Don't even get me started talking about that song), but it's still pretty good. If you like the style, give it a whirl.
Track 10: "Rip Off."
Funny for Adams to use the biggest complaint about him as a song title. Doesn't help the fact that this song is pretty boring. There's some greats lines and a nice backing track, but the chorus is trash (repeating "At least I wasn't a rip-off" over and over again? Sorry, I'm not interested).
Track 11: "Two Hearts."
Nice song, great tune, good lyrics (although there's approximately 2,000 songs titled "Two Hearts" out there). Nothing spectacular; the kind of song that, if it was written by a popular musician 20 years ago would be a guaranteed top-10 hit. Kind of a forgettable song as far as Adams is concerned, but nothing to complain about.
Track 12: "These Girls"
Another unreleased tune from half a decade ago (kind of worrisome for someone usually so prolific, honestly) and another great one. Like "Oh My God, Whatever, etc." it copies the guitar-solo style from "Heartbreaker," but much more effectively here. I love this song, and the lyrics are dynamite. Good stuff.
Track 13: "I Taught Myself How to Grow Old."
This song sounds a lot like my two favorite Adams closing songs (both from the same album, incidentally, the double album "Cold Roses"). I spend a few weeks deciding on whether or not I liked it better or worse than "Friends" and "How Do You Keep Love Alive?" before realizing that I don't. Still, it's a good song and a lyric that reminds the audience that Ryan Adams is getting older and wiser.
So, where does the album rate as a whole? Pretty well, but also probably in the middle of the pack as far as the rest of the Ryan Adams catalog. Like all his albums, it feels like an "album," meaning that it has its own style and feel unique from all his other albums. Still, the songwriting isn't nearly as dynamic as past albums, and some of the lyrics are even more sloppy than usual. Here's my final ordering for all the Ryan Adams's albums, from best to worse.
Gold (2001)
Cold Roses (2005)
Pneumonia (Whiskeytown, 2001)
Demolition (2003)
Heartbreaker (every music critic's favorite, 2000)
Jacksonville City Nights (2005)
Easy Tiger (2007, remains right in the middle! How 'bout that!)
Stranger’s Almanac (Whiskeytown, 1997)
48 Hours (bootleg, 2002ish)
Love is Hell, Vol.1 and 2 (EP’s, 2003)
Rock N Roll (2003)
Faithless Street (1996)
29 (2005)
1 comment:
Hey BP,
God, that was an impressive blog on the album. From what I've heard in your car it sounds likea solid album. I was most interested in your best to worst list. I would agree with your take on "29." That was a piece of crap. I remember when I worked at borders and the manager said I could take whatever I wanted out of this box of left over CD's and books. Most of the stuff we had was like: Somalia sings Michael Jackson, and Kenny G covers Paula Abdul. But I managed to find a Goo Goo Dolls Cd (The one where they had a bunch of catchy hits that you'd never admit you like). And then I found 29. At first I thought I had struck gold. I mean I knew from you how good this guy way. And then I go home expecting some real gem, and instead it was just trash start to finish.
However, I am wondering if you're putting Rock and Roll to low? And if you are not, then where do you rank "So Alive" in terms of best songs? It's got to be high right? And don't give me that crap about "lyrics to his other songs make you feel like a human." bottom line: "So Alive" kept me alive in Cairo for two straight years.
Rock On,
Zac
Post a Comment