Somewhere, right now, sitting on a hard drive is a Glyn Johns-produced Ryan Adams record featuring an all-star backing band. It joins a half-dozen other unreleased Adams albums the musician has scrapped or shelved for a litany of reasons over the years. Instead, Adams opted to self-produce his appropriately self-titled 14th solo album. The move should come as no surprise to Adams' patient fans, who have watched him rack up a trove of unreleased material over his career.
Ryan Adams doesn't veer far from what we might have expected, however. It's a stellar example of the kind of well-produced record many have been anxiously awaiting for over a decade. Adams is front and centre, backed by a well-practiced group of studio players, delivering 11 cuts that expertly walk the line between rock, folk and alt-country. The edges are rounded, with a big, chiming sound that make the record instantly listenable.
Yet, like 2011's Ashes & Fire, the album feels incredibly safe. While Adams' muse has, at times, produced as many head scratchers as classics, his inconsistency and willingness to follow musical urges wherever they may lead gave his music a sense of danger. It also inspired fans and critics to demand that their golden goose just sit down and focus, rather than pursue oddball musical larks (remember his heavy metal album, Orion?). As with all of his records, it's better to view Ryan Adams in the context of his career, rather than on its own, which makes this a very strong contender in a surprisingly dense field.
(Pax-am)Ryan Adams doesn't veer far from what we might have expected, however. It's a stellar example of the kind of well-produced record many have been anxiously awaiting for over a decade. Adams is front and centre, backed by a well-practiced group of studio players, delivering 11 cuts that expertly walk the line between rock, folk and alt-country. The edges are rounded, with a big, chiming sound that make the record instantly listenable.
Yet, like 2011's Ashes & Fire, the album feels incredibly safe. While Adams' muse has, at times, produced as many head scratchers as classics, his inconsistency and willingness to follow musical urges wherever they may lead gave his music a sense of danger. It also inspired fans and critics to demand that their golden goose just sit down and focus, rather than pursue oddball musical larks (remember his heavy metal album, Orion?). As with all of his records, it's better to view Ryan Adams in the context of his career, rather than on its own, which makes this a very strong contender in a surprisingly dense field.