Ryan Adams

So the story goes that Adams delivered a bunch of sad songs to his label, and they told him they wanted a more upbeat album of rock songs before they would release his sensitive ditties. It's no White Stripes, but this aptly titled album does indeed rock, and Adams' voice is more elastic than Rich Little's.

"Let me sing a song for you/That's never been sung before": Those are the first words out
of Ryan Adams' mouth in "This Is It," the opening song here -- and he delivers them in a
strip-mined yelp that is one hundred percent Paul Westerberg. Adams plainly does not
suffer from fear of contradiction. But what is the point of calling a record Rock N Roll
(which is how the title reads when you hold the cover up to a mirror) if you can'... More >

Sound effects, emotional affects, he's got 'em all ("Note to Self: Don't Die," "This Is It") (Grade - *)