Album Review – Ryan Adams “Ashes & Fire”
When I saw a new Ryan Adams album was coming down the pike, I honestly didn’t know what to think. I’ve been so hot and cold on the guy over the years as he shape shifts from the whims of identity crises and style changes, it’s harder to form a solid opinion about him than it is to conjure up a firm stool after 6 weeks in interior Mexico.
His early stuff with Whiskeytown and during those formative Bloodshot Records years holds some serious Gram Parson’s-inspired country music gold. And then all of a sudden he’s popping his collar, frizzing his hair, and playing pop rock. And then comes a period where he’s putting out anything and everything he a can cook up in a studio with no governor, like he’s Beck or something and can pull that kind of thing off. At some point I caught the Neil Young syndrome with him, where I like him, but absolutely can’t stand the dude at the same time. And didn’t he marry Mandy Moore and quit music just a couple of years ago? Hell I don’t know.
When I saw NPR had fingered Ashes & Fire for one of their ‘First Listens’, I thought hell, I’ll navigate over there and give it a sniff, and I swear, 30 seconds in I knew this album was going to be brilliant. And it is….in places.
First you must understand this album is not country, and it’s not rock n’ roll. It is solidly Americana, in the true Americana mold that Ryan helped codify during the early oughts, not so much some of the current Americana crop that sounds like pandering to the NPR demographic, or some others trying to out-Guy Clark each other. Regardless of the quality, I think this is the album Ryan Adams wanted to make, irrespective of trends.
Adams has been known to play the producer role in music, Willie Nelson’s Songbird from 2006 for example, and with this album, you can tell why. This might be one of the most well-produced albums I’ve ever heard. Helping Adams as producer was the famous Brit Glyn Johns, who is the second Johns to work with Ryan Adams. Glyn’s son Ethan Johns produced Adams’ Heartbreaker and Gold in the early 2000’s.
The problem with this album is that it lacks mustard. It really drew me in, but did not hold me. It never got off the ground. It was like the beautiful, brand new car, perfect in every way, that you’re scared to take out on the road because it might get a scratch. I kept wanting it to just go, for Ryan to unleash, but he never did. He was almost too careful, too perfect. To many people, this is what will speak to them in this music. For me it held it back. There’s an undefinable inhibition to this album. All of these beautiful elements there, but they never get flowing all in the same direction.
Soft arrangements and space can be good, but songs like “Come Home” and “Rocks” captured the sleepiness of a castrated James Taylor, while “Chains of Love” made me feel like I was soaring through the clouds on the back of a silver luck dragon with its wistful poppiness. But damn if “Ashes & Fire” isn’t a great, mid-tempo song, or that “Dirty Rain” doesn’t have some great lyrics. For all the great production, this album still lacks spice, from the lack of contrast between the songs, or cutting depth or sharp wit in the lyrics.
So I guess I’ll have to continue to hate to love to hate Ryan Adams. I’m not sure I could find the heart to argue against anyone who told me this album was brilliance, or that it was complete frap. Depends on taste I guess. But I can’t deny the effort is more solid than not. And you know, solid is good. Better than a Mexico-inspired lower GI travel illness.
1 1/4 of 2 guns up.
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October 11, 2011 @ 8:53 am
dirty rain was ok, the rest didn’t do much for me…
October 11, 2011 @ 9:10 am
You should be reviewing Bad Ingredients instead of this 🙂
October 11, 2011 @ 9:22 am
Bad Ingredients review is about 90% done and will be posted shortly. Big release day today. Dale Watson has a new one out too.
October 11, 2011 @ 9:38 am
Thanks for reminding me, I need to buy that one on amazon.
October 11, 2011 @ 11:48 am
Like, like, and like. Good work.
October 11, 2011 @ 9:39 am
Your review sounds just like what I am expecting/dreading of this album. In the early 00’s I was an unapologetic Ryan fan (partly because of his live shows). I don’t know how many gigabytes of unreleased studio and live stuff I had gathered, and that was before his 2005/06 Werewolph, etc. attack (which wasn’t very exciting). Cold Roses is still one of my favorite albums of all time (Stangers Almanac is also a contender), but Easy Tiger was just so-so (at best), and I HATE Cardiology, He used to write great lyrics, now it’s become so dull. “For all the great production, this album still lacks spice, from the lack of contrast between the songs, or cutting depth or sharp wit in the lyrics.” That’s so unfortunate, but it’s been like that for too long to keep up the hope…I might give the new one a listen…though I might not…I’d rather get some official releases of 48 Hrs, Suicide Handbook, Swedish Sessions,…
October 11, 2011 @ 10:11 am
If you’re a big Ryan Adams fan, I would suggest at least giving it a try, if you go in knowing it’s going to be pretty sleepy. I do think he put his best effort into this album. I don’t think anybody will say it’s his best, but it’s probably not his worst either.
October 11, 2011 @ 10:32 am
Whiskeytown was never on Bloodshot records. Ryan’s first post-Whiskeytown solo record “Heartbreaker” was however.
October 11, 2011 @ 10:44 am
Looks like the rest of my comment vanished when I submitted I’ll try again.
This record is better than his recent stuff but IMO nothing will ever match up to the first two Whiskeytown albums, those were pure gold. After a lots of up ups (the Cardinals records-Cold Roses/ Jacksonville City Nights) and downs (Easy Tiger) this is at least back on the track of what I like Ryan Adams music to sound like but as mentioned in the review could use a shot of adrenaline at times to wake the listener up.
October 11, 2011 @ 11:41 am
Thanks for the correction, you’re totally right. I think I knew that, and meant to say “His early stuff with Whiskeytown and during those formative Bloodshot Records years”, but omitted the most important word. Got it changed.
And sorry for any comment glitches, we are looking to see if there’s a problem.
October 11, 2011 @ 11:57 am
Okay, I have been on your case a bit lately but this is an excellent review. Fair and even handed. Nice to see that you are not one of the writer\fans who remain blinded by the promise Ryan Adams holds but finds difficulty delivering on.
October 11, 2011 @ 1:25 pm
Good solid easy listening and that’s a compliment. He has the type of voice that makes it easy to sit back, close your eyes and drift . . .
October 11, 2011 @ 2:59 pm
I’m kind of surprised you even bothered reviewing a Ryan Adams album. I’ve always considered him really commercially successful so thought he might have fallen under your radar. I have barely listened to the guy but have always disliked him intensely as where I live, he’s adored by the ‘hipsters’. If I have heard “Oh, if you like country music, you’ll LOVE Ryan Adams” once, I’ve heard it a dozen times. I eye anything labelled ‘Alt Country’ with suspicion so I’ve avoided the guy like the plague. From what I can hear from these samples I haven’t missed much, uhhh what IS he whinging about? I’ll take Brian Adams any day … “Was the summer of sixty niiiiiiiine” All together now!
October 11, 2011 @ 3:54 pm
That joke died about 10 years ago when it had been played to death for 6 years.
I am glad to see that you say you have barely listened to him, but intensely hate him due to others. Music can appeal to a wide variety, yet your close mindedness about who you listen to is just as bad as those who are faking their way as artists. You do realize that popular artists and hipsters like the allmighty hank III right?
And as far as hank III goes, Triggerman, why is it ok for him to wear his haert in his music and play many different styles but if Ryan Adams does it he has no governor? Also what pop-rock did he ever play?
October 11, 2011 @ 4:46 pm
Alright first, Carla was just making a good-natured joke, and seeing that she lives in New Zealand, may not be aware of the worn out nature of it. And neither her nor I mentioned Hank3 anywhere in this article. I know I get pigeon holed as his house organ, but the simple fact is I gave his latest album ‘Ghost to a Ghost’ a much worse review than I did this one.
https://savingcountrymusic.com/album-review-hank3s-ghost-to-a-ghost
And I wasn’t necessarily criticizing Ryan Adams for playing different styles, I was simply pointing out that he has a career that is hard to define, which I think most people would agree with me on. And when I was talking about his “governor”, I was not talking about his style, I was talking about a period in his career when he was snorting lots of cocaine and putting out lots of music with little concern for his career or the quality of the releases, and I’ve heard Ryan say as much himself in interviews. As for his pop rock, you don’t have to go any farther than “Chains of Love” on this very album to find it.
Look, I am a very tough, hard critic. And I gave this album a positive review. As you can see in the comments, this is something that I may not normally review. But I think that Ryan has done enough good music over the years that he deserves more attention around here, and that is what I am giving him. You may disagree with my opinions, and dissension is encouraged around here. But please, don’t misread my intentions.
October 13, 2011 @ 1:27 pm
Selfreliable: it was an intentionally bad joke as I am too lazy to think of anything fresh or inspiring when it comes to Ryan Adams. You are right: I am close minded about him. There is so much great music out there that I barely have time to listen to so if I am missing the boat with Mr Adams, that is fine by me. I’m sure he doesn’t really care either. From what I have heard of his music nothing has grabbed me in the least, so I’ve not been inspired to listen further.
Your argument would have held more water if you’d actually taken the time to direct me to a few of your personal favourite songs of Adams, rather than just berating me for my ignorance. I always appreciate stuff like that.
My hipster quip really probably more for Trig as he knows where I live and how nobody here listens to country music. In the murky depths of the south pacific nobody has heard of Hank III, not even the hipsters.
October 13, 2011 @ 1:30 pm
PS Selfreliable: I actually stated I “disliked him intensely” not “intensely hate him”. There is a big difference between dislike and hate.
April 3, 2012 @ 1:09 am
I personally think Oh My Sweet Carolina is the greatest country song ever written. Check it out.
October 11, 2011 @ 4:35 pm
Carla,
He may have that country music cred with some folks because of his earlier stuff, with Whiskeytown and his first few solo albums with Bloodshot. Ryan Adams has had some pretty distinct eras in his career, some legendary good albums, and legendary bad. He is hard to define, as I alluded to in my review, and thus, I don’t know if it’s fair to pigeon hole him or his music as anything.
October 11, 2011 @ 7:46 pm
you should probably base your opinions on music by what you hear. Those Whiskeytown records and his first solo record “Heartbreaker” are fucking fantastic.
October 11, 2011 @ 8:58 pm
This comment was edited per the comment rules.
http://www.forum.savingcountrymusic.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1303
October 11, 2011 @ 7:10 pm
Gonna give this a listen for sure. For anyone who isn’t aware, “Love is Hell” and “Heart Breaker” are brilliant. This stuff and his style changes cannot be compared to Hank3 at all. It’s apples and oranges… But “Ghost to a Ghost” is fucking awesome. It’s brightest moments shine brighter than anything he has done. Hopefully that is the case with this new release by Adams.
October 13, 2011 @ 10:10 am
i like some of ryan adams work…i really liked his release DEMOLITION …some excellent songwriting on that…and i saw him live in denver at the BLuebird theatre with whiskeytown in 97…it may have been the strangers almanac tour…..it was one of the best shows ive ever attended, simply for the energy the band had among them…great great show.
i streamed this one myself…i liked it…but again, there are some solo bootlegs out there that just capture something that cant be done in a studio. …..here is a link
http://www.fuelfriendsblog.com/2011/04/24/ryan-adams-unnanounced-with-new-songs-in-los-angeles/
December 29, 2011 @ 11:53 am
His Whiskeytown stuff was awesome, not so sure about him anymore. The more apt comparison than Hank III would be Jeff Tweedy. The careers of those two guys seem to have taken similar paths, as Wilco now puts out almost anything and everything though Uncle Tupelo was pretty much all country/punk (more country after No Depression).