Bryan Adams
Room Service

THE REVIEW

In the 80s, during the pop and dance explosion, when girls were obsessed with Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet (not to mention many other one-hit wonders), and when synthesizers dominated the music scene, rock seemed well and truly dead. But there was someone like Bryan Adams, whose debut album dates back to 1980, who tried to keep a strictly rock tradition alive. Without inventing anything new but trying to carry on what the masters of the past had taught. In the '90s, however, the Canadian rocker discovered that with soft and sugary songs one could reach the hearts of thousands of girls (just look at the 13,000,000 copies sold of "Waking up the neighbours"), so he continued his path steering towards a rock very inclined to pop. And what does Bryan Adams of the 2000s propose? To know that, we have to wait until 2004, the year of release of this "Room service," which comes out a good 6 years after the last album of unreleased songs, the less successful "On a day like today," 5 years after yet another collection of hits "The best of me," and 2 years after the soundtrack for "Spirit - stallion of the Cimarron."

The album was conceived in the various hotels that hosted the singer-songwriter during his numerous concerts, as evidenced by the title "Room Service." Let's make it clear right away that this album doesn't offer anything new, let's be clear.

Neither from a musical nor a lyrical point of view. However, in this album, Adams balances rock songs with the classic ballads that have accompanied the love stories of hundreds of teenagers.

In essence, in my opinion, it is an album for concerts. Given the context in which it was written, probably the singer-songwriter felt the energy that only concerts can transmit, and managed to convey it on the album.

Just think of "She's a little too good for me," "Room service," "Nowhere fast," and "Right back where I started from," very catchy and immediate songs that are well-suited for a concert. Or the ballads "Flyin'," "I was only dreaming" and "Why do you have to be so hard to love" perfect tracks to listen to while embracing your loved one, waving a lighter. Another noteworthy song is surely the second track "This side of paradise," especially for the lyrics, which are undoubtedly the most committed of the album. A nine-year-old child sitting in the backseat of a '69 car, pressed against the window while seeing images of a funeral. He wants to know what is left unsaid; he wants something to believe in. It's a song about growth and hope, as the final verse of the song reads "We wander 'round in the darkness but every now and then a little light shines through."

The other lyrics offer us the classic Bryan Adams with love as the main theme. Told in a banal way, if you will, but still effective. The other songs "East side story," "Not Romeo not Juliet" go by quickly without leaving an indelible trace, whereas I find "Open road" the least interesting point of the album. Strange that it was chosen as the first single. Perhaps that's why it did not receive the right attention in Italy. The English and Japanese version of the album contains a bonus track at the album's end: "Blessing in disguise," a fun old-style rock. In summary, this is an album that will please (and a lot) longtime fans of the Canadian singer-songwriter and could also be an excellent start for those who do not know him yet.

Unfortunately, in the next album "11" dated 2008, the freshness and spontaneity present in this album will be missing, focusing entirely on excellent arrangements, but they seem too "thought out."

So far, I have tried to be as objective as possible, but if I have to give a personal opinion, I find this record the best since "Reckless." It is one of those albums that I would play continuously on the CD player because its lightheartedness knows how to transmit energy and positivity to me.

I hope to have enticed you to listen, because in my opinion, this album is worth it.

See you next time...

P.S: "From now on we'll be going somewhere slowly, instead of going nowhere fast"