Rated 8/10
Before today, the only Ryan Adams song I knew was To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High). I had been introduced to this song by a university roommate, so as soon as I saw Ryan's name, I immediately thought of my university days! Great times.
Ryan Adams is a folk rock /alternative country artist from the United States. I would say that his music is similar to Bob Dylan, or Jason Isbell. Ryan's song writing style is very cryptic, which is what reminds me so much of Bob Dylan.
This album was supposed to be a double album, but the record company made it a single CD, then took the last 5 songs on the record, and put them on a bonus disc, which they included in the first 150,000 copies of the album that were sold. This allowed the record company to charge more money for the deluxe edition of the record which included the bonus disc. This pissed Ryan off because he felt like it was screwing over his fans by making them pay inflated prices for his new album.
The one song from this album that I was familiar with before listening to it was When the Stars Go Blue, which was covered by Tim McGraw. I was unaware that it was a Ryan Adams song until I did a little research on this record. Apparently his song "New York, New York" gained popularity on MTV after the 9/11 attacks. Also, The Rescue Blues was featured in the end credits of Behind Enemy Lines.
Overall, an excellent album today. I really enjoyed it, and will 100% listen again! Musical accompaniment was tight, and Ryan's vocal delivery was spot on.
Favourite songs: Rosalie Come and Go, Sweet Black Magic, "New York, New York", When the Stars Go Blue, Tina Toledo's Street Walkin' Blues, The Rescue Blues, Enemy Fire, The Bar is a Beautiful Place, Firecracker, Answering Bell, Gonna Make You Love Me
Least favourite songs: Sylvia Plath, Wild Flowers
4/5