Ryan Adams
Demolition

THE REVIEW

A few months after the release of Gold, the good Ryan Adams decided to place yet another effort on the shelves of music stores. And he did it with an album, "Demolition" that included outtakes and demos from recent times. Given the premise, this was supposed to be a transitional album made just to keep the fans happy. In reality, transitional it was, but by no means trivial or by the numbers. "Demolition" is certainly not Adams' best work because the songs (being demos) seem disconnected and lacking in logical connection. But in truth, taken individually, they turn out to be really enjoyable and of great class. Adams explores various fronts: fairly "hard" rhythms appear in "Nuclear", many pieces are inspired by early Bob Dylan ("You Will Always Be The Same" and "Cry On Demand"), there is a bit of a Springsteen vibe in "Hallelujah" and something psychedelic in "Jesus (Don’t Touch My Baby)". In short, a work (unintentionally, I bet) well done, played excellently, and interpreted even better. In many songs, Adams’ voice is so different that it might seem like listening to several different singers. And in "Love Is Hell" the change will be even more evident. In the special edition (unobtainable here in Italy, I had to have it sent from Germany!) the second CD is also very interesting, with only 4 songs: there are, in fact, 2 live versions of "New York, New York" and "To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High)" recorded in Amsterdam and two studio tracks, like the splendid "Blue" and the fun "Song For Keith", a tribute to Keith Richards.

Fortunately (or unfortunately) this young man of (now) thirty years cannot achieve in Italy the success he is recognized in England or the Netherlands. Perhaps due to his somewhat grumpy nature and his "not wanting to appear at all costs" on TV or in (mediocre, I would say) music programs. Moreover, alas, Italian radio stations do nothing but bombard us with what the market wants, and so we always eat the same soup, for years. So a more appropriate title could not have been chosen by the good Ryan: DEMOLITION!