Ryan Adams: Jacksonville City Nights
October 5, 2005
Ryan Adams doesn’t like you. Let’s get that bit of information out of the way.
For an artist who’s known to change from album to album, Adams is slipping into a funk and continuing with the same vibe from his previous album, “Cold Roses.”
For an alt-country rocker who focuses more on quantity of his songs rather than quality, Adams’ second of three releases this year has shown growth in his songwriting abilities, though the growth is minimal compared to previous works.
Gone are the simple elements of “Heartbreaker,” the ebb and flow of “Gold,” the romantic nature of “Demolition,” the raucous electric guitar of “Rock N Roll,” the rainy-day depressing tones of “Love is Hell” and the slower ease of “Cold Roses.”
Instead, Adams relies on simple chord structures and upbeat song styles to guide the album along.
His borderline alcoholic state is apparent on “A Kiss Before I Go,” where he asks for “one shot” and “one beer” and seconds later is asking for gin in “The End.”
While “Hard Way to Fall” carries a “Nobody Girl” style, “Dear John” features Norah Jones on piano and swooning vocals, and the duo’s collaboration adds to the downtrodden flow of the album.
So for a man who calls journalists after a bad review of a show or album, one wonders how many anytime-minutes Adams will be burning on this album alone.
Personally, this journalist welcomes the phone call. In fact, this journalist would be disappointed if the call never came.