I should preface any review I do for Ryan Adams, with or without the Cardinals, with this statement: I freakin' love Ryan and everything he's done (including his work with his previous band, Whiskeytown). This is a biased review, to be sure... but what can I do?
Cold Roses is a double album, but more in theory and execution than running time; the whole work clocks in at one hour, sixteen minutes. That said, casual fans and those new to Ryan's work should also realize that this was one of three (3) albums that he released that year (Jacksonville City Nights and 29 being the other two) and that the total running time does nothing to depreciate the impact this package has as a double album. It plays like a double album and between the packaging and the track order, I think it's essential that it be a double album like this.
Compared to his previous works at this time (e.g., Love is Hell, parts one and two, Rock n Roll) this album was a (welcome) return to a much more 'country' sound for the band. The highlights are many, the lyrics are brilliant, the music is fantastic and I got to see him tour shortly after these albums were released and they translate beautifully to the stage; I have the bootleg (Ryan is 'taper friendly') from the show I saw and listen to it all the time still.
If you're new to Ryan, I'd still probably suggest starting with something like Gold or even Whiskeytown's Strangers Almanac. And, please don't let the "country" tag scare you away: this isn't Shania-esque new country, nor is it 'your fathers' country music; yes, there is some twang, but Ryan has an incredible voice and there is enough of a 'rock' vibe underlying everything to interest anyone. Also, even if you don't know it, you've probably heard his music previously, either in a movie or on tv or something... but maybe I just notice it everywhere because I love it so much; yes, I'm that annoying person who will stop people in the middle of a conversation over dinner or whatever to point out that he's playing on the radio somewhere.
| Recommended track(s): | Magnolia Mountain; Sweet Illusions; Easy Plateau; Cold Roses; Dance All Night |
| Worth another listen? | Yes! |
| Overall rating: | Four-and-a-Half Stars |
It's my favourite Adams album. I love innumerable tracks on other albums, but I adore this album. When my first copy developed a skip, I bought a new one.
ReplyDelete@Matthew -- thanks for dropping by! Yes, this has become _the_ RAatC album for me; it's really quite incredible from start to finish, inside and out. Looking at this review again, i don't know exactly why it didn't garner my first five star review... maybe a recount is in order here.
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