Things I like... Things You Should Like

Ryan Adams is one of my favorite musicians. He's great in a lot of ways, but one thing that's cool about being an RA fan is that the guy puts out albums at a ridiculous rate. Two years ago he released three cds, one of which was a double-album, the wonderful "Cold Roses," all in one year. Some people have criticized his prolific nature... really?!? What would you prefer? A guy who puts out a couple of cd's a year, or someone who only releases a record every four or five years? Even if all of that output is sometimes uneven, at least you've got something to get your hands on! Don't forget that The Beatles released all of their work within a six year period! That's amazing. And let's not compare Ryan Adams to The Beatles per say, but get off the guy's back for working!

Anyhow, I've been going through my RA phase this summer. It happens all the time. I start listening to someone's entire catalog for some reason. In the beginning of the summer it was Bright Eyes. Then it was Jane's Addiction. Then I moved on to Pete Yorn and then The Clash. Once I listened to nothing but Bob Dylan for about six months.

So I've been going through my Ryan Adams cd's, which has coincided with the release of his latest album "Easy Tiger." What I like about RA is his great singing, his diversity of sounds, and the emotion that he puts into his songs. I know the word "heartfelt" can be a bit cliche, but at times this guy can almost make you cry. The song I can't escape is "Hard Way to Fall" from his "Jacksonville City Nights" album. It's a breakup song where the singer remembers all of these idiosyncratic details about his girl... how she reads from the back to the front of magazines, the Scotch that she drinks, how she loses her keys, etc. You realize it's a lost love song when he sings "how I miss those things." None of this is groundbreaking or anything, but it's simple and sad and direct and everything I like about music. The ending is the best. He's got the verse:

"See her smiling at him?
That used to be me...

And we used to be something,
but something happened to me."

I love that. It kills me. It kills me every time I hear it. It's so honest and sad. Best of all, I find it to be very self-critical, which most people struggle with.

So check out Ryan Adams. You won't be disappointed. And the best part is that by the time you've gotten around to buying one of his albums, he will have just released a few more.