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Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker Audio CD

A fair review of the Ryan Adams "Heartbreaker" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Ryan Adams reviews here, or go back to the Ryan Adams tabs.

Ryan Adams Band: Ryan Adams
Title: Heartbreaker
Rating:
Release Date: 2004-08-24
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: (Argument with David Rawlings Concerning Morrissey) 2: To Be Young (Is to Be Sad, Is to Be High) 3: My Winding Wheel 4: AMY 5: Oh My Sweet Carolina 6: Bartering Lines 7: Call Me on Your Way Back Home 8: Damn, Sam (I Love a Woman That Rains) 9: Come Pick Me Up 10: To Be the One 11: Why Do They Leave? 12: Shakedown on 9th Street 13: Don't Ask for the Water 14: In My Time of Need 15: Sweet Lil Gal (23rd/1st)

Dully disguising derivative
In fact, it is when Adams completely abandons any preconceived notions of "authenticity" and simply follows the melody with conviction that he often records his best work. Yes, there is usually an air of disingenuous sincerity present in Adams' aesthetic pursuits of gritty country-rock, but that does not take away from his unique pop songwriting talents to help raise the songs higher. With Heartbreaker, the overworking artist is nearly in full-on Dylan acoustic mode though, mainly drawing generically unimpressive results, with truly memorable passages such as the chorus of "Come Pick Me Up" being a rarity.
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Wildly Overrated Album
The remaining half of the album is pleasant but forgettable filler, plain and simple. Reduce HEARTBREAKER into its basic components and what you have is one outstanding song (Come Pick Me Up) and five good songs (To Be Young -- Amy -- Oh My Sweet Carolina -- Damn, Sam -- Shakedown on 9th Street).

Come on, folks. This is a 2. 5 star or 3 star album, at best. Even the most ardent Ryan Adams fan, in good conscience, cannot possibly award this inexplicably overrated album more than 4 stars. Those interested in exploring his discography would be better served by the slick but musically diverse GOLD or the beautiful, stripped-down JACKSONVILLE CITY NIGHTS.

5 star reviews shouldn't be tossed around like candy. They should be reserved for superlative, historically-emblematic, best-of-the-best albums such as Joni Mitchell's BLUE, Dusty Springfield's DUSTY IN MEMPHIS or Gram Parsons' G. P. /GRIEVOUS ANGEL, to name a few. HEARTBREAKER is nowhere near 5 star league. .


Heartbreaker
Think Wilco by way of Black Flag. Heartbreaker by Ryan Adams *****

Heartbreaker, Ryan Adams very first solo album a alternative country album, Adams' all time best work. Oddly enough the comparison isn't too far off, as Adams' chosen genre is one that feels open enough to bridge the extremely hallow gap between that of country western music, and good ol' fashioned punk n' roll.

Lyrically we get the since that Heartbreaker is an album of well. . . heartbreak (as many of Adams' albums would be during his career. Imagery of broken hearts, one night stands, and drug fueled affairs haunt this album like a bottle of Jack haunted Hank Williams Sr. Never again would Adam's lyrics feel so damn honest and pure. Never again would they feel so true and open, as if telling a story or better yet sitting as a voyeur watching the magic unfold right there before your very own eyes.

Tracks like 'Amy' and 'My Winding Wheel' haunt and creep along like the memory of a past love, while ever contrasting those is 'Too Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High) and the powerhouse of slide guitar 'Shakedown On 9th Street. '

Rivaling even his best work with the fabulous Whiskey Town, and ever his work with newer backing band the Cardinals. It remains to be seen if Adams will ever be able to surpass this monster of a record, even though a testament is more a likely and suiting word. Often does he come close, but no closer has he come than that of Easy Tiger which even after a listen to and a comparison to Heartbreaker falls flat.


personal favorite album of all time
I own this both on CD and Vinyl and it is in rotation at least twice a week since the first time I made the purchase. This album has grown to be my favorite album in my collection. Heartbreaker comes off as the most honest and organic sounding album I have listened to. In many ways it reminds me alot of the feeling you can get from a Dylan "Blood on the tracks/ Blonde on Blonde" listen but with a modern touch. Its a genuine Record that hopefully becomes a classic.


RYAN ADAMS "HEARTBREAKER"
I know absolutely NOTHING about Ryan Adams, but Amazon is FULL of POINTLESS reviews that seem to be taking over ones that are actually about the item, so I thought I'd do a one off pointless review and say that this album deserves 10 out of 10 on the fact that it was named after Mariah Carey's 14th US #1 single "Heartbreaker" :).


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