Ryan Adams
Ryan Adams

It's the album that Tom Petty would have re-recorded instead of Damn the Torpedoes, if by some absurd chance those tapes divinely produced by Jimmy Iovine had been lost overnight. And if, from one day to the next (even more absurd), the blond from Gainesville had a memory lapse that made him forget each of those chords in their original version. And if (even more absurd) he couldn't remember how, in less than three minutes, to come up with a perfect single, more than just a beautiful one - "Don't Do Me Like That".

All so absurd that it almost seems true, 35 years later. Maybe it's because a certain Benmont Tench is at the organ, maybe because "Gimme Something Good" has just started and already sounds like something familiar. Maybe because more than one track recalls a slower outtake of "Refugee" (and with "Trouble", how do we deal with that...? Pure resemblance or something more?).

Outtakes inferior to the original, but valuable. For a simple album that flows (indeed: takes off, gains altitude, even flies) with a certain pleasure. And with bursts of Rock FM made in USA worthy of the best Glenn Frey, strictly before 1983. With a Springsteen-esque "Kim" that will be remembered. With the guitar of a certain Johnny, whose last name is Depp, on a couple of songs. With some inspired acoustic moments, just to emphasize that those who were expecting the classic weak episode will still have to wait a bit.

Self-titled album at the fourteenth meeting. Symbolic choice? No, it's just that a better title simply didn't occur. And to say that he did try. "But all I could think of was crap like a King Crimson album, or something like that". Oh well.

A character like this, as they say, you either love or hate. I, to be honest, neither particularly. Perhaps more the former, but I couldn’t say. But I do say that an album like this I would recommend, yes.

When you recommend it, if you feel like it, I hope you have good arguments when you hear the inevitable: "But really, the one from 'Run to You'...? Is he still around? The 80s ended a long time ago..."