Bryan Adams
Bare Bones

THE REVIEW

The Canadian rocker, not satisfied with the release of the successful album "MTV Unplugged" in 1997 as a diversification of his repertoire in an intimate direction, tried again in 2010 with an even more radical choice for this "Bare Bones," programmatic from its title "Nude Bones": an entire intercontinental tour performed as a duo with a pianist, without a rhythm section, without an orchestra, without the loyal and talented guitarist and alter ego Keith Scott, wearing only a simple Martin acoustic guitar and occasionally a harmonica.

The live album in question is the result of that tour, with songs taken from here and there around America and Europe; as many as twenty episodes, carefully chosen from the now copious discography, alternating the better-known ones, the classics of the repertoire, with some more off-track things.

He's aging well, the Vancouver Canadian (born in 1959). Well past fifty, thanks also and perhaps especially to the vegan diet, he manages to maintain a slender and lean physique like in his youth. Much of his blonde hair is still in place, not even too gray... only a few wrinkles around the mouth and eyes do minimal justice to the accumulated years. And the voice is still all there, despite thousands of concerts without sparing it and despite the very hoarse and throat-tearing style adopted by our man, so characteristic, so penetrating.

This talented rocker/songwriter has received a lot from life, also being a successful photographer. Some have called him a sycophant... why not? Sure, he has never sought difficult things, but the art of putting together five or six chords and singing something impactful and compelling over them is not for everyone, and he has done it very well. On closer inspection, thanks to the right partners too... just scroll through the booklet notes of this little album to get the idea: no song bears his solo signature; his successes all arise from collaborations (with ex-friend and bandmate Jim Vallance, with producer "Mutt" Lange primarily, and then others).

Adams is an organized, savvy, talented, essential, clear-headed, and determined rocker; a kind of Bruce Springsteen but with a clearer and lighter tone, with less extroverted and torrential commitment and sociality. He has done his things with conviction since day one, he has achieved great success from it, made a ton of money, but he goes around in jeans and white T-shirt and with these he even goes on stage, doesn't need to act cool, and it’s evident how much he still enjoys himself, given that he does not slow down. It's nice to hear him in this more intimate and simple dimension compared to the usual rock arena in which he is more accustomed to being seen, armed almost only with his voice. Bryan is certainly not a virtuoso instrumentalist but solid and reliable: he has done concerts playing rhythm guitar supported by another guitarist, a bassist, and a drummer; he then strapped a bass guitar around his neck and went on other trio tours, assisted only by the faithful Scott and the equally reliable drummer Mickey Curry.

Here, as already mentioned, he wanted to have with him only pianist Gary Breit, who fills out most of the songs a little, not even all, which thus stripped down and simple rely totally on the interpretative warmth of the protagonist, on the safe clanking of his Martin, as well as, naturally, on the precious melodic and harmonic consistency of their structure: they appeared simple originally and arranged with the band, they remain simple without more choruses, solos, pounding drums, organ gurgles, and keyboard landscapes.

Even in this guise, some of his pearls stand out, such as "I'm Ready" (from his third album "Cuts Like A Knife" from 1983) which remains a grand and touching love song, or the country rock of "Cloud Number Nine" (this one from "On A Day Like Today" from 1998), which seems born to be freeze-dried with only acoustic accompaniment, or as a final mention the surprising "You'd Been A Friend To Me", taken from the soundtrack of a still recent (and modest) Disney film starring John Travolta and Robin Williams.

Take it or leave it with Bryan Adams. It's pop rock, but so was Chuck Berry's, the father of all these rockers with round and catchy sounds, and no one can say anything against him, I hope.