Bryan Adams
18 'Til I Die

THE REVIEW

To my great surprise, I notice the absence of reviews on Bryan Adams. It's a shame. Let's fix that immediately. And let's start with the best. "18 'Til I Die" (1996) is definitely one of his best works, a Bryan Adams in great shape, three years after the breakthrough of "So Far So Good" (1993). The subsequent collection, "The Best Of Me" (1999) is more of a rough summary than a second greatest hits, and will have less impact. But let's talk about the album.

The first track "The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You", single, comes across fresh and invigorating, showing an Adams in top form, with a catchy riff (the album is peppered with interesting and clear riffs). Number two, "Do To You" I consider the least interesting moment of the album, but not ugly for that. A bit bouncy and danceable. Number three is a masterpiece of melodic and atmospheric rock that is "Let's Make A Night To Remember", offered by a Bryan Adams with a soft voice and guitar. It is followed by the title track and we return to fresh rock, carefree with the content of the desire for eternal youth. "Someday I'll Be 18 Comin'on 55"!! Bryan predicts here! We hope for him, and he proves it too!
Next is another gem named Star. A very romantic slow song (Bryan Adams doesn't limit himself from appearing too sappy, so for those who don't like this, it's not very suitable) and engaging between acoustic and piano. Number 6 is "(I Wanna Be)Your Underwear" a cheeky song that wanders in lustful male desires. Musically, it is catchy and clean, rock but not very powerful. Number seven is "We're Gonna Win". Short, powerful, vibrant, compelling. Growing in the chorus, it might seem trivial, but it doesn't get there. It stops just short, almost perfect. If I'm not mistaken, it was a soundtrack for English football clubs (Chelsea if I'm not mistaken) and football events in England. The reason is evident from the title and from listening. The next two are decidedly atmospheric songs named "I Think About You" and "I'll Always Be Right There"; both are love songs in the truest sense of the term, but the second is better executed, with pauses, arpeggios, and much care.
We return to abrupt wake-up rock with "It Ain't A Party... If You Can't Come 'Round" lyrics from a absent mood in a happy rock version. The last rock burst, this time with an enticing double guitar that creates fabric and embroidery over the verse, is "Black Pearl", no.11. Perhaps for the first time, the bass is in sight, indeed on display. "Black Pearl... is my kind of girl!" Bryan echoes his tastes. It is the fusion of woman and rock. Number twelve responds to "You're Still Beautiful To Me". A pleasant ballad, not excellent, perhaps another low point of the album. This is for the melodic songs. For the rock ones, it maybe only drops in "Do To You", as mentioned above. Last, but not least, is "Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman?" with a guest like Paco de Lucia who joins him on guitar (nothing short of amazing!!!) and Bryan showcasing a beautiful lyric both for the singing and the text: when you can see your unborn children in her eyes. A poem. This is how the album concludes.

I preface that Bryan Adams’s career is intense both chronologically and discographically and certainly one album is not enough, but if you want to start, you could also start with an album like this.