New Ryan Adams album rocks

Music artist takes step away from country, toward classic sound

By AMANDA LENGYEL, Features Writer

Published: November 19, 2003

Dim lights, smoky air and music pulsing through the crowd's blood. Kids in jean jackets with messy hair and attitude problems. The feeling that a guitar is singing the music of your soul: anger, loneliness and independence.

This is the world of Ryan Adams' new album, "lloR N kcoR." Even the title has attitude. At first glance this album cover appears to have been titled with a nonsensical arrangement of letters, but when reflected in a mirror, it simply reads "Rock N Roll." Rock is truly the spirit of this new album. The strong beats, loud guitar and simpler rock lyrics show Adams moving in a new direction.

He leaves behind some of his usual heart-on-his-sleeve, melancholy, folk-style mellow rock and embraces his roots. His music in the past has carried a strong mark of Bob Dylan's heartbroken style, with powerful lyrics and rich guitar work. In "Rock N Roll" Adams shows less Dylan and a stronger sense of the Rolling Stones. This star's admiration of the Stones can be more clearly heard here than any of his previous albums.

Previously known as an alternative country star, Adams has given up his twang, for now. He has been known as a man of sad songs about failed love, full of emotion and calculated lyrics. Though he was never "hardcore" country, Adams has always shown deep roots in folk-style music and carried an appeal to the broken hearted.

Far from the poignant drawl of "I was trying to find me something/ But I wasn't sure just what/ And I ended up with pockets full of dust" in "Oh, My Sweet Carolina" ("Heartbreaker"),"Rock N Roll" is truly rock, not country.

Adams' country roots are easy to explain. Born in 1974 in Jacksonville, N. C., he began his musical career in a high school band, the Patty Duke Syndrome. He then headed up Whiskeytown in 1994, as the lead singer and songwriter for the release of two albums. The alternative country group broke up before their third album, "Pneumonia" was released. His debut solo album, "Heartbreaker" came out in 2000. It was followed by "Gold" and "Demolition." When his next release, "Love is Hell," was sent back to him by his record company, Lost Highway, he scrapped it and replaced it with two weeks of recording in the basement of a bar, which he turned into an album and named "Rock N Roll."

Leaving behind the acoustic folk sound of his first three solo albums, Adams goes for rock. While his previous albums have held the soft style of Beck's "Sea Change" and Jack Johnson's "Brushfire Fairy Tales," he now has the in-your-face voice and lyrics of the White Stripes in "White Blood Cells." In the same way, the throaty drawl and twangy guitar reminiscent of Paul Westerberg are replaced with moments when Adams sounds more like Ben Folds in the "Song for the Dumped" on the Ben Folds Five album, "Naked Baby Photos."

With a more upbeat sound redolent of Oasis and Weezer, Adams embraces rock, and his guitar, like never before. With the powerful sounds of "1974" and "Note to Self: Don't Die," this album has what it takes to permeate mainstream radio. Each song leaves an impression so lasting it will echoes in listeners' minds like the newest pop hit on the radio. The less-complex lyrics, such as in "Rock N Roll" where Adams says "Everybody's cool playing rock n roll/ I don't feel cool at all," finally offer a stripped-down look at the heart of his emotions and music.

Though "Rock N Roll" is hailed as the next step up in Adams' talent, it still leaves some fans wanting. This album does not contain the depth that he is so known for in his lyrics and music. Straying from the despondent sounds of his recently released "Love is Hell, Part I" Adams show less of his heart and more of his "screw the world" style. If fans are looking for another "Heartbreaker" they should stay far away from "Rock N Roll" and wait for "Love is Hell, Part II" this January.

There is a level of "rush job" still visible in the finished product of ""Rock N Roll." A combination of seemingly poorly thought out lyrics such as, "If I had a car I'd drive straight into the window of a/ Bank I owed money to" from "Burning Photographs" and almost copy cat mimics of classic rock leave this album feeling less sincere and meaningful than Adams' previous work.

This album is likely to find even more controversy at SPU than it has among the rest of Adams' fans. "Rock N Roll" takes Adams' typically melancholy lyrics and adds enough rock and roll rebellion to turn them explicit at times. In "Wish You Were Here" Adams casually throws in the infamous f-word, five times.

While the rest of the album is free of unseemly language, it contains a plethora of hard-hitting topics, such as drugs and prostitution shown in "The Drugs Not Working," where it states, "She was a hooker at the age of sixteen/ All she wanted was money, she didn't need an I.D./ She was a junkie, and I know its clichˇ." Coming from a songwriter known for his painful lyrics, this one cuts even deeper into the heart. Though SPU students are fully capable of handling the dark side of reality presented in "Rock N Roll," it is still very possible to find Adams' style of delivery offensive at times.

Ryan Adams is a man who is not afraid to do his own thing. He wrote "Rock N Roll" for himself; not the record company, the fame or the fans. Adams' talent is clearly seen throughout this album as he steps into new territories. Though the content and emotion may be shocking to some, "Rock N Roll" offers a new perspective of its creator.

Packed with amazing music and lasting lyrics, "Rock N Roll" is here to stay.

© 2008-2010 The Falcon        Contact        Advertise        SPU.edu