Ryan Adams Demolition (2CD 2for1- Universal, 2002) ***
Genre: Americana
Places I remember: Virgin Megastore Dubai Mall
Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Answering Bell
Gear costume: Nobody Girl, Starting to Hurt (from Demolition)
Gold is well named - Ryan Adams manages to distill his Dylan, Byrd, Beatle, Rolling Stones influences into his own thing to record his best selling album.
It's a run of one great song after another until Enemy Fire, which tries too hard to rock it up and sounds stodgy as a result. Try Starting To Hurt from third studio album, Demolition, instead.
Good news though - the deft touch returns from Gonna Make You Love Me.
All up it's a terrific set - well recorded too. There's tons of space for the acoustic guitars, organ, voice...
Demotion followed Gold and suffered in comparison but it's actually a fine album in its own right. Ryan takes on a more experimental stance with some of the instrumentation and he's, therefore, only partially successful.
Ultimately, I do have a real soft spot for Gold - it formed the soundtrack for plenty of driving around Al Ain and Dubai. Go fer Gold!
Where do they all belong? A lot more Ryan Adams to come - some hits, some misses. You definitely need a 'how to buy' guide for his prolific output. Trust me with Gold though - along with Heartbreaker, it's a high water mark!
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