Ryan Adams

The prolific Adams offers his third LP of 2005. There's much less twang rock on this album's schizophrenic sequencing (compared to Cold Roses) and fewer nods to the classic country heard on Jacksonville City Nights. With its lovelorn and moody minimalism, this LP sounds like an amalgam of somber outtakes from 2001's Gold and 2000's Heartbreaker.

Even loyal completists may hesitate before committing to this, the third collection human
jukebox Ryan Adams has brought to market since last May. Recorded before his outings
with the Cardinals (the double-disc Cold Roses and Jacksonville City Nights), this Ethan
Johns-produced solo set offers nine competent songs that contribute little new to what is
known, and appreciated, about his craft. It begins with a wordy autobiographic... More >

Adams's fourth and final 2005 CD--Cold Roses was a double, remember?--comprises nine verbose tales and laments. None are fast, six are slow, six amble past five minutes, and all seem to go on forever. Occasional rhythm tracks notwithstanding, the music is dominated by Adams's desultory guitar, please-not-more piano, and sensitive vocals. Although September's Jacksonville City Nights was the mess a lesser talent would have barfed up years ago, puffs of tune and vapor trails of feeling did waft briefly from its twangy swamp. These meanderings are the kind of indulgence that ends label deals. If I were Luke Lewis, all that would stop me would be the outpourings of personal vituperation and musical self-pity certain to ensue. (Grade - C)