Ryan Adams: Rock N Roll

Ryan Adams: Rock N Roll

2003

Lost Highway Records

Format I Own it on: Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1. This Is It  2. Shallow  3. 1974  4. Wish You Were Here  5. So Alive  6. Luminol  7. Burning Photographs  8. She's Lost Total Control  9. Note to Self: Don't Die  10. Rock N Roll  11. Anybody Want to Take Me Home  12. Do Miss America  13. Boys  14. The Drugs Not Working

This is Ryan's attempt at a straightforward rock album, and I think he mostly pulls it off. This album gets pretty mixed reviews, which I think may be attributable to the record getting off to a pretty slow start, before hitting its stride.

"This Is It" is the big bombastic "This Rocks!" intro, not bad but not great either. "Shallow" is a little better, featuring a pretty cool chorus. I can't tell if "1974" is supposed to be a Stooges style "Year" song or if he's just trying to remind everybody of his birthday. "Wish You Were Here," is more of the same.

It isn't until "So Alive" comes on that the record really comes to life. The fire alarm guitars and Ryan's vocals sound like a tea-kettle boiling over. It  really lives up to the album's premise.  It sounds like Ryan Adams yet it rocks just a little bit more.

Oh yea, it also sounds exactly like U2. Whatever, I'm sold.

But I like "Luminol" even more. The laid-back manner in which he sings the song suits him better than the approximation of Kurt Cobain's famous rasping scream he employs on some of the other tracks. This guy can really sell a hook! All these middle tracks work for me!

We hit another bum patch with tracks 9 through 11. "Note to Self: Don't Die" basically crosses the line into Nirvana parody.  The title track is a mumbly piano number, whose sole purpose, as far as I can tell is, irony (The only non rock n roll track on the album is called "Rock N Roll," Get it? Huh?) and "Anybody Wanna Take me Home" is just ...bleah....but the last three tracks are a perfect finish! "The Drugs Not Working" is drop dead awesome! I could complain it goes on a tad too long, but it's an album closer...so I'll cut it some slack.

I recommend giving it a listen...and why not?  Maybe it's not the most substantial music that ever existed, but blasting some poppy rock n roll on the weekend never hurt anyone, and Ryan sounds like he's having fun here. I honestly think he should do some more stuff like this...

My God, 2003 was a long time ago now...it just seems like yesterday I was covering my face in embarrassment at the "Rave" scene in the "Matrix: Reloaded..."

... and rocking out to Ryan Adams' "So Alive." Wait...Should I have been hiding my face in embarrassment that I was rocking out to Ryan Adams? You decide...Below is the video...