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Cardinology

Ryan Adams & the Cardinals - Cardinology Audio CD

A fair review of the Ryan Adams & the Cardinals "Cardinology" 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 & the Cardinals reviews here, or go back to the Ryan Adams & the Cardinals tabs.

Band: Ryan Adams & the Cardinals
Title: Cardinology
Rating:

Release Date: 2008-10-28
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Born Into A Light 2: Go Easy 3: Fix It 4: Magick 5: Cobwebs 6: Let Us Down Easy 7: Crossed Out Name 8: Natural Ghost 9: Sink Ships 10: Evergreen 11: Like Yesterday 12: Stop

A different kind of RA & the Cardinals album
It's an album that is mostly about Ryan Adams coming to terms with his life and career in music. Cardinology is an album that will upset some, anger many, and cause others to rejoice. The best advice I can give you is don't go into this album thinking of the Ryan Adams from the Gold/Heartbreaker era. If you do your going to be disappointed. Instead look for a more mature singer/songwriter who has refined his music to the best of his ability.

When I first heard Cardinology I wasn't sure what to make of it. It was so drastically different from the Cardinals other albums that it left me a little confused. It has taken me almost a year to finally realize just how wonderful this album really is. It starts off strong with Born Into A Light and it doesn't let up until the last note of Stop has been played. Cardinology has zero fluff and isn't afraid of getting straight to the point. It's a tightly refined and short album clocking surprisingly early for most Ryan Adams fans. As you well know, Ryan Adams is a verteran in singing about loss and love. The difference with Cardinology is that he's also facing these problems with a sense of closure and maturity that we started to see with Easy Tiger. My personal favorites off of this one would have to be Let Us Down Easy, Cobwebs, Evergreen, and Born Into A Light. It's hard to pick favorites though because every single song adds something different to the album.

No it isn't much like what we've heard from the Cardinals before. No it isn't much like Ryan Adams solo career. No it isn't much like Whiskeytown. Instead Ryan Adams gives us something both unique and refreshing to his long catalogue of music. Ryan Adams has taken a step back from music after this release. This is definitely a good one to leave his fans interested and waiting for his eventual return to music. Lets hope that this isn't the last we hear from him.

Polished Tunes of Enjoyment
This is an artist who knows how to pen a song down and crank out albums like it's no tomorrow. I am a huge Ryan Adam's fan with the "Love Is Hell" album being my absolute fave of mine by Ryan. I bought this album the day it came out, popped the disc in and let the tunes sink in. Honestly, I was in a blah state of mind that day last year. Cardinology was missing the edginess of many of his previous works and just seemed too polished. Despite my initial reaction, I kept playing these tunes from beginning to end with no skipping. . . yes this album might be a grower for fans who love his older material. The stand out tracks for me are Fix It, Magick, Cobwebs, Natural Ghost, and what a beautiful way to end album with the deep feeling of Stop.

I had my first opportunity to see Ryan open for Oasis back in Dec. I was blow away by Ryan's presence on stage. Listen up guys, this album is to be played LOUD. Seeing the band play this album at maximum decimal and energy put an entirely new light on this album for me. It will do the same for you. . . so crank it!!!

Is this Ryan Adam's last album as he broke up with the Cardinals and has a hearing condition? I hope not! Ryan is still a very young artist who I believe his best is yet to come. However, he did recently marry Mandy Moore in a very secretive way back in the spring and has gone awol from his Tweets for months now. One can only hope he is sitting quietly somewhere with or without his new wife penning more greatness to come our way.

All of Ryan's albums have a unique sound to them. Cardinology's polished touch is no different. Highly recommend all his stuff. .

This is a testament to the greatness of this artist - Ryan Adams.
The man knows how to write a song - a good song. I have loved the music of Ryan Adams since the days of Whiskeytown. He can sing, he can play, and he can write words that hit you in the heart. This man has soul. He also knows how to record a great record - and this is one great record!

Instead of writing a whole bunch of stuff, I figured this time I will just tell you what I think each song reminds me of; more specifically - what artist each song reminds me of. . . . Why? . . . Because I have never heard an album before by one person or band that sounded like so many other different artists and bands - and great bands to boot. This is a testament to the greatness of this artist - Ryan Adams.

Here we go:

Track #1 - Warren Zevon . . . Track #2 - Matthew Sweet . . . Track #3 - U2 . . . Track #4 - Lenny Kravitz . . . Track #5 - Rufus Wainwright . . . Track #6 - Boz Scaggs . . . Track #7 - Nils Lofgren . . . Track #8 - Lou Reed . . . Track #9 - Jeff Buckley . . . Track #10 - Jack Johnson . . . Track #11 - Karl Wallinger . . . and Track #12 - Neil Young. . . . Now, is that incredible or what?

I love this album. I think you will, too.

. . . YOWZA! - George Koumantzelis / The Aeolian Kid
.

Seriously? THIS is Ryan Adams?
I felt that all of the angst, desperation, and genuine feeling that I expect from and love about Ryan Adams was completely missing from every track here. I am extremely disappointed in this CD, but perhaps it is because I have never listened to any of Ryan's albums with the Cardinals, and was expecting something very different. This sounded almost born-again to me, like an easy-listening cop-out. . . like a complete diversion from everything I had come to love about Ryan's music.

Amazingly Fresh Original pop/rock
I had heard of Ryan Adams but never really heard him. I stopped in CC on their Last day in business, they had a few racks of CD's for 90% off. But for 1. 29 it was time for a try. Sure glad i stopped in there as this is currently one of my top albums. Now as great pop music sometimes wears thin over time I am yet to give this the test of time. But after about 10 listens I am hooked. The sounds are layered fresh and new, in fact this guy really grooves and i am feeling every song. I first had to check because after 2 listens in my car i was thinking this was a greatest hits album and the title seemd like it might be. (its not) Anyway if you love the softer country side of the Grateful Dead then I highly recommend this. Ryans vocals can almost be a cross between Garcia and Weirs voices, very interesting. The music is complex fun and unpredictable, this is a man making the music he loves, not trying to mold an album to sell a million or please a small/medium following. Also if any Jayhawks, Golden Smog or Louris fans are reading this DO go buy this album , you will be pleased. In a world where Britney clones are trying to send barely hidden code cuss words to teeny girls and sell a million disks, this album is a very big breath of fresh mountain air. I'm for sure gonna get another of his albums soon.
PS: I should have got 2 of these disks because my wife has hijacked mine and its been in her car for days!.

You can see a complete list of all Ryan Adams & the Cardinals discography, or go back to the Ryan Adams & the Cardinals tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.