Reviews (page 5 of 8)
Interesting album- I hadent heard of Ryan Adams before. Coincidental he started with a Bob Dylan cover because he was giving a lot of Dylan vibes. Country meets folk meets crooning. Overall- decent album
I really wish this was the direction country took in the 21st century. Maybe it could have, but 9/11 and the aftereffects really caused country music to fall into a rut that it still hasn't dug itself out of, over twenty years later. It's truly the biggest tragedy of that day. But, for this album specifically, I like it. I'll probably like it more after a few listens, as is pretty true of alt country for me right now. This is one of those artists that I "know" I'm supposed to not like, but the art can be good even if the artist is a bad person, as is true of so much art. We just kind of decide to ignore it most of the time, and only care when the Eye of Social Media turns on them. So as long as my generation celebrates Rumors, I'm not going to care about like art from assholes.
If you can invest into the melodrama he’s found himself in, you might get some mileage out of this one. Or, the melodrama he portrays. Unsure how much of this is autobiographical, and how much of this is a practice in character portraits. Which I suppose is a sign of good songwriting! Wouldn’t say this is country, but it sure associated itself with the places and folks that helped shape the albums identity. Toes the line of country, folk, singer-songwriter, Americana, etc. “Oh My Sweet Carolina” may as well have laid the groundwork for what Chris Stapleton and other acoustic folksy guys would build upon. Probably my favorite on the album. “Dam Sam” was a personal confrontation experience for me, forcing me to realize that Bob Dylan’s influence knows no bounds. From here on there’s a bit too much harmonica if you ask me. That and all the eulogizing or hyperbole about lost lovers and other familiar tropes, like “Dont Ask For The Water”. A good change of pace for this list, this record is at its best when it’s sonically spacious/minimal, and lyrically wearing its heart on its sleeve. A respectable 3/5
Ok...probably thinks too highly of itself
Quite a nice time. Fave Tracks: To Be Young (Is to be Sad, Is to Be High), Amy 3.4/5
pretty ok, but not my main style/
3.5 stars
I mean props up to a good songwriter who knew how to deliver to his audience. I just can't make the case for it to peak anybody interest especially mine.
I like the rockers and songs that don’t draw from Dylan. But other wise feels a tad generic.
nice and sad
Not sure about this album. Love its folksy, laidback tone, but it feels a little too polished for my taste.
Eeh, I think Ryan's fallout lingered around far longer than it needed to be, which may or nay not be due to his own actions as a musician (spoiler alert: it's due to his questionable ideas and ethics as a musician). He started his solo career off well, with a collection of melancholic and introspective songs that are broken off with a few rockers here and there. Some characterize this one as overindulgent and a bit egocentric, but let's face it, who hasn't been a bit over the top when it comes to heartbreak? The songwriting is decent to good, and the atmosphere is overall a net positive, but where he fails is the engagement aspect. You'll start the album, doze off, think its the fourth song, only to see you're at the back end of it. Definitely not bad, but God, does he sometime feel like a broken record on this one. ⭐⭐⭐
I'm resisting looking at the Global reviews as I predict a tide of art vs artist cliches focusing on him being a terrible person. Interesting how these debates seem to hone in on certain artists (Morrissey, Clapton...) while others get a free pass (Lennon, Plant, Bowie...) Because, well, a combination of recency bias and people's individual hangups. Obviously racism and being horrible to women are still awful characteristics but were much more commonly ignored in the 1960s/70s so while RA might have got away with it 50 years ago, he's been widely cancelled in the 21st Century, while Lennon and Bowie are still revered. It definitely helps that their music was many orders of magnitude better than his, to be fair. I do have personal beef with Ryan Adams though. I went to see him on tour in 2003 and it was an aggressively bad concert. Genuinely a waste of time and money. He mostly played songs from his two brand new albums - Rock n Roll, (which he apparently threw together when his label refused to release his other new album...) and Love Is Hell (said other album), so the audience had barely heard any of the material. Rock n Roll had literally been out a few days and Love Is Hell wasn't actually out as an album yet. He then chucked in a couple of tracks from Heartbreaker at the end, and nothing from Gold or Demolition, which were the two albums I knew. He got the crowd interested with his cover of Wonderwall, only to close out with two more random unknown album tracks. Very odd choice. Added to which, he was clearly absolutely wasted, foul-mouthed and unpleasant the whole time. Didn't attempt to interact with the audience and left with the distinct feeling that he'd cut it short. This album is nice enough. It has some pretty decent country ballads and he does a good number on that harmonica, but it does get a bit one-dimensional and formulaic after a while. Amy is a fantastic song but I personally think Mark Ronson covered it better a few years later. I don't mind it as an album but if I'm in the mood for some Ryan Adams, I'll gravitate towards Gold and probably then move on with my day.
One of the more unfortunate things about this project is finding an album, starting to dig it, opening the reviews and seeing people talking about how much of a scumbag the artist is. I normally try to abide by the separate the art from the artist mentality when reviewing work, but it is definitely difficult. That being said, I liked this album. strong songwriting, I liked the harmonica on 'why do they leave', I do think the songs started to blend together after a while, however. Toward the end ... I was falling asleep a little. 3.5/5
Fine. Bonus point for the harmonica
Can I separate the artist from the alegations? Probably not in this case, good album, but most likely is the only time I'll listen willingfully to a Ryan Adams project. Come Pick Me Up and To be the One shouldnt be together, man fade out into fade in with harmonica does not work 6/10
I’ve never cared for country music, and after listening to Heartbreaker, I still don’t. That’s not to say this is a bad album. It’s just one of those records that exists in a space where I neither love it nor hate it. It’s fine, it’s competent, but it doesn’t do anything special for me. Some moments are nice, but as a whole, it’s a whatever kind of album. Ryan Adams clearly has talent. His songwriting is heartfelt, and there are a handful of tracks here that capture a real rawness and emotional weight. The opening track, (Argument with David Rawlings Concerning Morrissey), is a quirky and oddly amusing way to start the album, and it sets up a laid-back, unpolished vibe. To Be Young (Is to Be Sad, Is to Be High) brings a bit of energy into the mix, with its ragged, bluesy country feel, and I can appreciate its loose, almost reckless delivery. The production is warm and organic, which works well for this style of music. You can tell it was crafted with care, and there’s a certain charm to the way it’s recorded. Nothing feels overly polished or forced. Some of the more stripped-down moments, like Come Pick Me Up, stand out as genuinely well-executed tracks with strong melodies and an intimate feel. That being said, I can’t pretend this album moved me in any significant way. The biggest issue for me is that, despite its well-crafted nature, it still leans into that classic country/alt-country sound that just doesn’t click with me. I can recognize its qualities, but I’m not invested in them. A lot of the tracks feel like they blend into each other, with a lack of real variation to keep things engaging. Adams' vocals are fine but don’t particularly stand out. they serve the songs well enough, but they don’t grab me or make me feel anything beyond a passive appreciation. There are moments where the album feels a bit too self-indulgent, dwelling in its own sadness without really bringing anything new to the table. I get why Heartbreaker has its fans. If you’re into this style of singer-songwriter country-tinged music, I imagine it’s probably quite an experience. But for me? It’s just... fine. It didn’t annoy me, but it didn’t excite me either. It’s the kind of album that plays in the background while I’m doing something else, and I wouldn’t rush to turn it off, but I also wouldn’t seek it out. Solid musicianship, solid songwriting but ultimately, it’s not for me. A respectable 3.3/5, but I’ll stick to music that actually makes me feel something.
Really awesome performances, harmonica jump scare isn't that bad honestly. I just kinda can't stand the lyrics of the love songs here
Was about to complain about this album being the second one on this list by Adams but ends up this one isn’t as bad as the first one. The guy has had some problematic behavior in his background since, which doesn’t help his cause. The song from Old School keeps this album from getting hammered.
Ehhhhh it’s alright I guess? Fella is a decent singer and the instrumentation is nice enough. This is not music I would listen to by choice under any other circumstance so there is a large element of personal taste here. This guy could have taken a couple lessons from Big bad Harv in extorting sex from women trying to break into your industry.
I'm not the biggest folk fan nor really a big fan of Ryan Adams but that asshole can write a catchy riff, play a guitar, and has a great voice. I'm not ranking stuff based on if I like someone, but based on the music, as unbiased as I can be. "Listen to Oh My Sweet Carolina" and tell me you're not swept away in some sort of classic American love story. Like COMPLETELY LISTENABLE. Decent country/singer-songwriter stuff.
Fuck Ryan Adams but I can't deny that this album is fucking gorgeous.
Sometimes he sounds like he’s doing his best Bob Dylan impression. Most of the rest of time he sounds like what Zach Bryan does today. I liked it. Sometimes a little samey. Favorite songs were To Be Young, Come Pick Me Up, and Shakedown On 9th Street.
Je vais mettra 3 parce que je ne suis pas assez certain pour mettre 4. J'ai écouté une fois seulement. Soniquement, ça me plait, c'est le genre de son que j'affectionne, j'aime le alt-country, j'aime l'americana. J'ai aimé quelques chansons. Il n'y en a aucune que j'ai fais WOW mais ça veut un peu rien dire, j'ai l'impression que j'ai besoin de plus de temps pour jugé à sa juste de valeur
J'ai aimé ça, mais j'aime le country et le folk, alors... Belle voix, pas trop forcée. Rien de désagréable, mais ce n'est pas nécessairement mémorable. Le tout demeure positif.
Obligatory Ryan Adams is a giant piece of shit. That out of the way - the first half of this is pretty ok. The rest blows. Come Pick Me Up is a solid breakup tune.
Good
Nothing special
It's good for what it is, I'm just not a huge fan of country. Another instant where the artist is very talented but I just don't love the music.
Sounds like less creative Bob Dylan
Influential? Hmmm. I don't know about that. Country with a little indie singer/songwriter. A little more palatable than some country, but not terribly interesting.
I didn’t end up finishing it but it was pretty neat up to around the half way point atleast
Songs i knew 0 Songs i like: lost of them (if I was in a lift) File this under "music I'd like to goose to while in a lift". Good not great, high 3.
Another reprieve album. I like having the time to reflect and collect my thoughts before facing whatever big album lies in wait for me around the corner. I also enjoy likening these kinds of albums to emotions or experiences - it makes the process of listening to all of these randomly-generated albums feel meaningful and part of a greater narrative. This album is like trucking through a dark, single-lane country road in the middle of the night, waiting for a radio transmission to pierce through the dark, lonely veil that hangs over me. I also liken it to sitting alone in a motel bar alone with a smoke and a glass of gin while drifting in and out of consciousness - too tired to remain awake, but too pensive to fall asleep. I really came around to this album during the second half, which is usually indicative of me not paying enough attention to the first few tracks. I'm going to give this one a relisten tomorrow, as I do with all of the albums on this list (God help me).
If you are talking about Heartbreakers, you have to talk about Lenneth Houmous! 15 wives, 15 mistresses! 3.0
This is actually a really clever tribute act because the real Bon Dylan also refuses to play any of his hit songs
Started off quite liking it. At some point forgot I was listening to it and it disappeared into the background. I guess it was alright overall.
Not bad... a little slow but not bad
I actually saw Ryan Adams at a festival in 2017, before the allegations. He was drunk I think. There was a tall apartment complex behind the venue and Adams multiple times insisted that there was someone on the roof of the building and would not play until they waved back to him. This continued for multiple minutes before he gave up and went on to play the set. So yeah I always guessed he was kinda an asshole. Anyways, this album was clearly inspired by Dylan, without the songwriting. Not bad but it ain't going to blow anyone away either. 6/10
Some really good songs but the genre has engulfed this album
This album had a few songs on it that I dug, but for the most part it was a little too low energy for me. I don't see myself choosing this to listen to again, but it wouldn't bother me if it came on. 2.5/5
Better than expected but my expectations were low. Still, some of these songs were decent. 2.75/5
I think this album is a bit too country for me.
I can imagine loving this dude so much if you were 15 when you heard this for the first time, ya know?
I liked the cover. Thought the music was OK. 30 albums in 25 years! Prolific if nothing else.
Plenty of hints of Springsteen and particularly Dylan sprinkled throughout, but not really my cup of chai TBH
I’m not a massive fan of country, but this leans more Neil Young-ish, and I quite like it. I kept thinking bits sounded really familiar, then I looked it up, and thought OK, Dave Rawlings, Gillian Welch, Emmylou Harris, that’s what I can hear.
Ahh.. nothing special here really
they used to play Ryan Adams on my favorite radio station, 105.5 The Colorado Sound. they stopped one day, i found out why, and now you spend every lovelorn fingerpick session with Mr. Adams thinking "serves you right, you piece of shit". so pre-emptively -- fuck you, Ryan. fuck your boring cover albums and your current Spotify-only career. i hope you punched a hole in your wall after you saw boygenius get huge in the last couple years while you released yet another album without a blue link on Wikipedia. now, i'm not gonna be talking about what he did or did not do, or anything like that, but learning that really does make it gratingly apparent how much of his music takes the form of the torch song, holding out hope for lost loves. of course, he's already setting himself up for failure by casting himself as the floppy-haired wretch who is always high and always getting left behind. it regrettably comes off as one note by the time the back third of the album rolls around, really only providing depth to this persona in moments of cruelty and spite like "Come Pick Me Up". that song actually feels cathartic, feels ugly. this is the sound of someone with the maturity to have their ex come back to them and to tell them "no, fuck off". by the time the album's moribund, i'm just kind of tired of it all and wondering if you could count this as a full listen if you stopped after that song. unfortunately, the hallmark of a mature artist is often pretty apparent by their frequency of releases. Ryan Adams has about 32 albums and counting in 25 years. it feels a bit like the high effort version of Viper releasing five albums a month to game the algorithm. like, cmon, Ryan. how many of these are just demos you polished up of you doing the same thing you're doing here? where's the quality control? i may give Gold or Love Is Hell a chance at some point, but i wouldn't be caught dead listening to Blood on the Tracks (Ryan's Version).
The harmonica pieces turn me off incredibly :(
Yllätyin, koska tykkäsin tämän tunnelmasta. Aika puhtoisen oloinen poika. Mutta kuinka ilahduttavaa on, että laulu tulee kovalla mutta sitä ei ole raskaasti käsitelty! Kuulostaa aidolta, saa mut uskomaan Ryania.
Like a proto Jason Isbell...beautiful alt country that is just one notch too bland to keep my interest.
Some very nice tracks here indeed, mainly the first half of the album, after which my patience runs out a little with the lack of variety, and the surplus of introspection without catharsis or humour. It's a respectable three.
72% Best: My Winding Wheel; Bartering Lines; Come Pick Me Up; Shakedown on 9th Street Must-Hear? Not enough oomph here. No.
In 2024 this one no longer sounds very original, but I still enjoyed the listen. He was obviously influenced by Steve Earle.
No tenía grandes expectativas para este álbum, ya que nunca había escuchado nada de Ryan Adams y esperaba el típico country/pop que no me dice nada, pero me equivocaba. Es un álbum con unas letras preciosas, nostálgicas, lleno de emoción, que me recuerda en cierto modo a Elliott Smith. Musicalmente no es nada especial, pero tampoco hace falta. 3.5
2.5
Very Bob Dylan-esque, without the indecipherability of Dylan. All songs very mellow, but enjoyable.
Might go back to this or check out his following albums. The songs are good and I like his voice, just looking for an extra depth/connection to them.
Strong start but not as good in the second half, gets a little dreary. OK album
So ryan is a known POS, but taking a moment to separate the art from the artist, this album is just ok. I've spent 20 years listening to it, or at least some of it and I've always felt that way. Its a solid 3 but that's an average because it's a collection of 4 and 5s but several 1s and 2a. Like most of Ryan's catalog, it's an album of some really good or great songs surrounded by just some really blah tunes he kind of farted out. I've always felt like his catalog should be half as big and more attention to crafting higher quality albums vs just wrapping out 2 or 3 albums a year of whatever he feels at the time. But that's just my opinion. He's still a favorite artist or mine, or at least the art. He's a major douchebag.
Could be an album I like a lot, it’s an album I like some - good voice, bad person. Never felt like it quite got going - the rawest moments don’t endure. It is palpably better than so much pop country, but I don’t feel compelled to return to it. I have to trust this is mostly because the music is ultimately unimpressive and incomplete. ‘Shakedown on 9th Street’ is a believable thing, tho, and the harmonica is there for real. I might return to it…
Wow, there really are two Ryan Adams albums on this list. Luckily, everything I said about the previous Ryan Adams album is basically true about this one. It's competent, but doesn't feel original, nor does it feel significant. But, hey, you gotta put some albums from the early 2000s on here, so why not this one? 3/5
I found this oddly pleasant. Would listen to him again.
Competent, at times soulful but mid 3.2
Not my cup of tea. Gave me blood on the tracks vibes, which I love, but I kept thinking I’d rather listen to Dylan. Well written lyrics, beautiful vocals but was not in the mood for a sad/slow album. Has potential but just to listen for 24 hours for the first time I didn’t resonate with me.
Nice album. Nothing more.
Was a 4 star album until 3/4 of the way through. In the end it dragged a little and I was hoping for the end.
Strong collection of Dylanesque folk, acoustic singer-songwriter tunes and country rock. I really liked the call-and-response chorus on "Shakedown on 9th Street."
I love an album that starts with an argument. Just kidding I don't think I've ever seen that but let's go for it; it's the first day after the election and I'd love to get my morning going that way. This album is quite solid. The music itself is really nice, and his voice has a ton of good qualities. It's emotional and dynamic and has natural country twang tone for days. A lot of these songs have great structures, arrangements, and the production suits him really well. The only thing I wanted more was some kind of experimentation. Judging the book by its' cover, I didn't expect him to be a pretty straight shooting country singer-songwriter. I thought there'd be a little more straight rock or even a little blues in there, but this isn't too far off from cowboy hats and boots with spurs. That's totally OK and the sound suits him really well but I would have rated it a little higher if there was a little more diversity. Interesting album cover- it almost looks like a promotional shot for a movie or something. The thing that has me perplexed is that it looks like there are three layers of depth here- his face, the cigarette, and the background. I can't tell if the cigarette is at the same depth as the background, but it definitely doesn't look like it's on the same one as his face is, right? It's like he's laying there and the cigarette is placed behind him and not in his mouth.
01) (Argument with David Rawlings Concerning Morrissey) - / 02) To Be Young (Is to Be Sad, Is to Be High) - 7,5 03) My Winding Wheel - 6,5 04) Amy - 6,5 05) Oh My Sweet Carolina - 7,0 06) Bartering Lines - 7,0 07) Call Me On Your Way Back Home - 6,5 08) Damn, Sam (I Love a Woman That Rains) - 7,0 09) Come Pick Me Up - 6,5 10) To Be the One - 5,5 11) Why Do They Leave? - 6,0 12) Shakedown on 9th Street - 7,0 13) Don't Ask for the Water - 6,0 14) In My Time of Need - 5,5 15) Sweet Lil Gal (23rd/1st) - 5,5 TOTAL: 6,43 (64/100) Current ranking: 270/352
The consensus seems to be that Ryan Adams is a prolifically horrible person and I'm not doubting that, but you can't deny he is also one of the most prolific singer-songwriters in the past couple of decades. I don't know where he finds the time, recording, touring and being a misogynistic manipulative jerk, but he pumps out albums, much like Amazon pumps out cash. Heartbreaker was Adam's debut album, 24 years ago and it might be considered one of his best. Taking the alt-country styling of his band, Whiskeytown, he produces an album of strong tracks and songs that are even beautiful at times. This is the blueprint he builds his career around and weaves in different styles and influences into his later albums. I admit, I like several of those other records, as I never really warmed up to Heartbreaker. It's solid, but not my favourite and still prefer Whiskeytown.
"Alt Country" is not really my thing. However...there are some really great songs on here.
Not a huge fan but this was enjoyable.
Yeah suedehead is on viva hate… There’s something I just don’t like about Ryan Adams, not even with him as a person just his music… well with him as a person still but you get the gist. The folkier country tracks sounded like they were trying desperately to be something they were not, the rockier tracks just sounded generic. It’s not abhorrently bad but it’s not great either. 3/5
It's not you, it's me. Honest. I've just seemed to get such a stream of "acclaimed album by singer/songwriter...just him and a guitar" album. They just seems to merge into one - very similar songs, very similar instrumentation, very similar intonation. Sigh. I grow weary. This isn't a bad album, and a couple of tracks to seem to try new features, but ... nothing is memorable now.
If you're going to be an appalling human in the music industry, it's probably also better to make slightly better music than this.
Reasonable take on folk Americana but nothing remarkable, once again a bit strange it's included here 3.5*
one more letter and you get a censoring canadian
5/10…folk / country
Pretty good singer songwriter album 3.5/5 1. To be young 2. Oh my sweet Carolina 3. Why do they leave
Pretty good country record
He was quite popular in the indie scene (as I followed it) ages ago. I didn't get it back then. Tastes change with age, so I thought this was as good a chance as any to give Adams a second chance. Turns out I don't find it as bad as I did back in the day but it's still a 3/5 at best for me.
An alright album. Nothing to really get me excited or that I didn't like.
I really thought this was a Bryan Adams album when I first opened it up and was confused when I heard this. Also couldn’t figure out why Bryan Adam’s would be on this list. Anyway, not bad Americana sorta throwback style country. Or whatever you’d call it. It’s not Bro Country, as I’ve heard the current garbage called, and he wasn’t singing about a beer in his truck and a girl with a short skirt and cowboy boots, so that was good.
Good acoustic songwriter stuff.
Not really a fan of this, but didn't actively hate it. Felt like I was in the car with my mom.
Nobody, I mean NOBODY, loves Ryan Adams more than Ryan Adams.
When you're young you get sad, when you're Ryan Adams you whine your ass off well into middle age.
Alright, some good, some bad
Some pretty solid alt-country. I was more into the first half of the record than the second half. I think I could listen and get into this more if I didn't know that Ryan Adams was a sexual predator piece of shit. It's hard for me to separate the art from the artist sometimes. It's not that hard to refrain from being a sexual predator.
3.0
I'll be honest, when I got this album I was a tad bit excited, for it was time for me to see what the fuss was about when it came to this and its creator Ryan Adams. And while for the most part this album is good, I was rather disappointed in the sort of monotone nature of it all. It was as if there was very little variety and hardly any ear perking songs here (maybe To Be Young and Shakedown stand out for me). I understand that this is called Heartbreaker and not all things are merry and jolly here, just put a little bit of pep in some of those steps. Favorites: To Be Young (Is to Be Sad, Is to Be High), My Winding Wheel, Oh My Sweet Carolina, Call Me on Your Way Back Home, Damn Sam (I Love a Woman That Rains), Come Pick Me Up, Shakedown on 9th Street, Don't Ask for the Water.
Based on the reviews here, few people actually listened to the album and jumped straight to the Ryan Adams hate. If you can't separate the art from the artist you going to have a bad time in your little time on this sphere. Heartbreaker by Ryan Adams is such a colossal monster of an album. Adams fits perfectly into the lane of singer-songwriter from this period with other greats like Rufus Wainwright, Damien Rice, etc. 3.5/5
First time really listening to Ryan I think.
I was a big Ryan Adams fan once, I’m firmly On the downside these days but there are some decent tracks here
Ruhig und ganz nett
Too much whiny harmonica
"To be young" reminded me of the opening of Old School. Good song; the rest was just ok and ran out of steam. I've heard much worse folk kind of music on this journey but can't say I was super impressed. 6/10.
Ryan Adams was totally new to me and after hearing the first song (following the studio chatter) I was thinking all right... I can get on board with this. Then what followed was a glut of quiet, low-key songs that were so similar in tone and vibe that they were pretty much indistinguishable from one another. There were only 2 upbeat songs out of 15 and I think this album needed more for a better balance and to make it more interesting. Even so, none of the songs were really bad in and of themselves and this was a pleasant though unmemorable listen.
I know this from way back. Got me to know RA and explore the rest of his catalog at the time. It's a very slow album with peaks and valleys. I find myself turning it up at times because it's so lo-fi. Really enjoy "Oh My Sweet Carolina" with Emmylou Harris, they sing well together and created a classic track. "Pick Me Up" is instantly catchy and the centerpiece of this album. Would not have made my 1001 List but enjoyable.
I was so not drunk enough to appreciate this. Ryan Adam’s a decent lyricist, but this is pretty similar in it’s melodic composition, and is mostly all slow and acoustic, which I don’t hate, but it all ends up mushing into one big acoustic clump. Maybe it’ll reveal itself more on relistens, but I’m not sure I’ll take the time
this guy has had a messed past with women and he will likely never recover professionally. I don’t think I would feel good ever supporting this guy financially. Again, another album we have to evaluate our feelings about. I think criticism of him is justified. I think he deserves the hardships he seems to be experiencing. But this is obviously a great record and likely influenced a lot of artists.
Deep lyrical folk kinda alt/rock.
Really good singer songwriter album that reminded me of a litany of other artists. The slower songs sound like Zach bryan a bit. There was some Johnny cash and bob dylan as well. It’s a sound that’s becoming more popular now. Roots revival country that is moving away from the big pop country stadium sound that has been dominant. Interesting to discover people had been making similar music as early as 2000
Alright album with a real americana/country tinge to it. Most of the album is pretty mellow with the exception of a few tracks, so if that's not your thing, skip this one. If nothing else, check out the track "To Be Young"
-I’m not a huge fan of country / country-adjacent music maybe because I haven’t listened to it much but this was decent. i like the rock and country blending -Favorites are To Be Young, Amy, and Shakedown on 9th Street
Don't like the guy but gave this an honest shot. Some decent tracks but mostly underwhelming/background music.
Nice slow album. Works better than any melatonin
15 songs about losing love did not have me optimistic about this album. Thankfully it wasn't droning and had the banger To Be Young. Exceeded expectations.
I first heard Ryan Adams on a series of those cd’s that come free with music mags. He seemed to be prolific & I suppose I assumed he wasn’t selling well & that’s why those tracks were turning up gratis. One of my favourites was To Be Young, the opening track here on his debut album, & it still sounds wonderful almost 25 years later. I eventually collected several of his cd’s, including Heartbreaker. And it still sounds fresh. No wonder, with personnel like David Rawlings, Gillian Welsh & the great Emmylou Harris. A good listen.
I'm not sure what I think about this. I wanted to like it, but it felt like he was trying too hard.
El primer álbum en solitario de Ryan Adams tiene el sabor de los clásicos del folk-rock americano, fronterizo con la música country. Tiene también un cierto aroma alternativo desde el mismo arranque del disco con "To Be Young (Is to Be Sad, Is to Be High)", un tema sobre la angustia propia de la juventud, con sonidos dylanianos. Me gusta mucho la tranquila y emotiva "Oh My Sweet Carolina", cantada a dúo con Emmylou Harris, y sus arreglos bluegrass. También la exitosa canción de desamor "Come Pick Me Up" y la stoniana "Shakedown on 9th Street".
I loved this one in my late teens, as a bumpkin who grew up resenting country music & Americana slowly getting over it. I'd seen him play a total disaster show at a festival where it was clear he sang effortlessly, mostly otherwise bad except a deranged version of To Be Young stuck with me. To Be Young and Come Pick Me Up definitely don't hit the way they did now, but I think very nice music for an immature teen figuring out the world in the timeframe they came out. That first festival listen ends up as a good summary, a lot of talent, a lot more terrible trainwreck decisions and bad taste. I have a mean opinion about Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, which is that they haven't done anything better than on Heartbreaker. One day I may change my mind on that. music industry creeps: hated. (⌐■_■)
Enjoyed this quite a lot as a youth. Lots not to like about Adams over the years, both as a guy who is pretty bad, and a musician who ultimately has more misses than hits. Now, I suppose I would call it a good baseline for alt-country or whatever. The good songs are great, but there’s a lot that’s a bit weak too.
Another day, another three star album
It was good, I'd enjoy seeing him play at a live music festival, but it's not an album that I'm going to pull up of my own volition.
I liked it but didn't love. solid 3
A friend of mine is a big fan. I never understood why. Still don't. Most of this record is boring, but it has some good parts. Good background music. Favorite song: Amy
Folk rock? Country Rock? lots of harmonica .... I understand why there's an audience for this type of music and I don't want to hate on it but I didn't enjoy it. I enjoyed the sad songs, particularly the ones near the end like In my Time of Need. I respect this as a record, but I don't think it's tremendous by any means. It's like Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan Beta ... is that too harsh?
Great voice. Clean. High 3.
Ugh. More alt-country I’ve been recommended a ton of times and never enjoyed. To Be Young is an okay song, but the rest of this kinda just keeps happening without much of a point to its existence. I truly loathe this where it goes more country and merely tolerate it where it’s fairly generic rock. There’s nothing remarkable about the lyrics and the pacing on many of the songs is nothing short of tedious. There’s a group of people who love Ryan Adams, Wilco, My Morning Jacket, etc. that I tend to have a lot of shared musical taste with, but this stuff just never does it for me.
Honestly it's a decent album. Full of passion and commitment. High tempo. 3.5/5.
It was ok
Some good country-style pieces but being slightly different, folksy in some songs like 'Amy'.
Fun time. Sort of right on the edge between the country that I listen to and the one that I don't.
I had never willingly listened to Ryan Adams before. All I knew was that he has a record of being an asshole. I was not looking forward to this. However, I really loved the rockabilly songs. The ballads were meh to me, but I’m not a ballad person. +5 for the rockabilly songs, -1 for the ballads, and -1 for being an asshat.
Can't lie - my heart sank a little bit with this one. I absolutely loved Ryan Adams when he broke onto the scene. Coming from small-town suburban UK, the alt-country-rock vibes were like they came from a different planet, but a planet where I belonged. Saw him live several times and the show was always immense. On the other hand, what an absolute helmet.
#218. You see, when you said Ryan Adams, I thought you said Bryan Adams, and I was expecting something completely different. This was fine though. Very Dylan-esque folk but without as many ear raping harmonica solos. 3/5: acceptable.
I remember hating Gold, but this was actually quite strong and enjoyable. I know he’s a dick, so I won’t rate it too highly, but that’s another story.
Not what I thought Ryan Adams sounded like. All felt a bit bland
This album had more country vibes than expected. I wasn't disappointed, but I wasn't blown away either. Average
Some nice alt-ish country. The best tracks are the more intimare songs that let the soft sound flourish
Haven't listened to Ryan Adams much, though have heard quite a bit about him. It was alright, but I can't see myself revisiting. Last track, Sweet Lil' gal was my favourite
I feel like I’ve passively heard this entire album before, in the background, over the past 20 years. And with that I never felt called to seek him out. Still don’t really.
I had no idea I liked Ryan Adams. I honestly just assumed I wouldn’t like him because of South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut. “Now now. The Canadian government has apologized for Ryan Adams on several occasions.” And now I just realized that the above mentioned line is incorrect and Brian Adams and Ryan Adams are two different people. So we’re figuring out a lot this morning.
I hate that I like Ryan Adams' music, given his alleged creepo stuff. His cover of Swift's 1989 is really awesome, and this record is really great. Check out Dave Rawlings Machine's cover of To Be Young, To Be Sad. 4 album gets a 3 because dude is a creep.
I love “to be young” and it’s an amazing opening track, however from there things slide into a lull, “winding wheel” is an average song and “Amy” is incredibly dull. There’s nothing then to distinguish and of the tracks untill the brilliant “come pick me up” We then slide into another unfortunate lull untill the final track “sweet lil gal” which I don’t particularly love but sounds sonically different enough from the rest to stand out. The writing here is good and Ryan has a nice voice, I think it’s just a bit too sleepy to rate any higher, it’s peaks are great it’s lows are incredibly forgettable.
Not bad but wasn't this the cunt who almost broke up the strokes?
I don’t know much about Ryan Adam’s but his music was ok.
A nice take on the americana singer-songwriter tradition, with beautfull arrangements and a few rockers. It did not carry my attention all the way through, but its still a good album that I'll give a re-listen.
Melancholic slow country pop.
A bitte slow, but nice melodies
3/5. A few great songs. A lot in-between.
Pretty dang good. Definitely an alt country kinda thing going on. I'll come back for another listen when my mood is better suited to it. A bit melancholy for my tastes but overall quite well written
Country-influenced pop rock and folk. A bit slow and sleepy. Highlights: "To Be Young (Is to Be Sad, Is to Be High)" (Stonesy country), "Come Pick Me Up" (nice harmonies, catchy chorus), "Shakedown on 9th Street" (Bo Diddley beat gives it a 50s sound, kind of White Stripes-y)
I don’t as somewhat familiar with Ryan Adams, I like Americana, Country Singer-songwriter music so I honestly expected to enjoy this more than I did. It felt a bit too overproduced and polished, he’s a good songwriter with a good voice but everything about this felt too clean and got boring bc of that. 3 stars
Liked it. Liked the opening with a good rock and roll vibe.
As others have mentioned, beautiful music by a reprehensible human. And, like other case, you're supposed to separate the art from the artists but.... 5 stars for Phoebe Bridgers (and boygenius), and Mandy Moore, and everyone else this monster tried to destroy. 0 stars for him, 3 stars to split the difference
Nice Bob Dylan vibe
Nice tunes, bit of a player singing about Lucy and Amy though
If this was a cup of tea it would be mine
It isn't bad. Kind of tiring after a while though. 3.5
Country romantic love vibes pretty good. A lot of acoustic but it works well. He has a good voice the guitar is pretty good, slow and romantic Best track: my winding wheel 3.6/5
Ok I liked about 1/2 of it, don't think I will listen to Ryan Adams anymore 3 stars
4 Star album from a 1 star human
Basic singer/ songwriter stuff
Good in parts.
Not bad. Not memorable.
is ok
Not a big country guy, but this album was worth listening
Some great tunes
A nice little alt-country record. It wasn't a complete wow-fest, and there are other country projects I'll go to first, but I would listen again at some point for sure.
I liked it
This kept my attention and was pretty good but next morning I couldn't remember a thing about it
I'm not familiar with Ryan Adams, so I checked the reviews... it appears that Mr Adams is a reprehensible human being. Well, that's unfortunate. On the other hand, Rock Star and Reprehensible Human Being go together more often than I'd like to think. I'm not sure starts were better in my youth, but the lack of 24 hr news cycle and no social media provided a level of insulation, and maybe allowed a level of willful ignorance on fans' behalf. Anyway, what about the music? I was pleased that this album from the year 2000 is not all synths, autotune and drum boxes, with no hint of rap or hip hop. The opening song has a rollicking feel, somewhat reminiscent of Dylan's "From A Buick 6". That's a nice start, but also the high point. It doesn't drop off much, at least. This is a pretty relaxed feeling album, with a very "natural" feel. Acoustic guitar, harmonica, a touch of banjo. Un-affected vocals. Very "real". Especially compared to other albums from 2000, like Britney Spears, Eminem, NSYNC. Really, this is the type of sound that I generally like, and that's good. But it's just not especially memorable. Still, a lot better than I expected. Might've been pushing towards a 3.5, but gotta dock a bit for the personal "problems". 3/5
funny shit
Zu viel Mundharmonika
I didn’t hate this
It was a mixed bag for me. Liked the slower songs more than the upbeat ones.
Better than I thought actually
Not bad! Not exactly a genre I listen to a lot, but it sounded great. 3.5/5
Note sure if this is a hot take but "Love is Hell" (and "Prisoner", for that matter) is far superior to "Heartbreaker" and that's really all I can think about when I listen to the latter. Even Adams himself agrees, he's quoted as saying that "Love is Hell" is "..alot like Heartbreaker but better and more severe". Exactly. I'll save my love letter to "Prisoner" for that review.
I was introduced to Ryan Adams by his less lauded Cardinology which has a lot more rock-and-roll sound. Heartbreaker is a little more tender, like a combination of heartland rock and folk rock in the vein of Dylan’s Desire or Nashville Skyline (which despite their different “eras” and sounds, have always seemed thematically similar to me). It also reminds me of Neil Young, specifically Rust Never Sleeps with a mix of electric and softer acoustic-ish tracks. Adams is no Dylan or Young, but this is a pleasant album.
A couple great songs but some weaker Americana pieces that bite at the heels of Springsteen. Or maybe I’m being harsh because he’s a terrible person.
Supposedly romantic
this is a country/folk album. Mostly generic folk type songs. There were a couple of rock sounding songs that were OK
- The album is fairly repetitive, but manages to still be a fun listen. I ended up adding "Shakedown on the 9th street" to my playlist, which is kind of the opposite of the album mood. - 5/7
En l’écoutant d’une oreille, j’avais trouvé ça vraiment ennuyeux. En y prêtant plus attention, je comprends l’aspect intimiste et je trouve qu’il y a quand même de belles mélodies
Pleasant surprise of an album after never hearing of this singer before. Real good voice, rhythm, and lyrics. It’s not my genre of music at all. A few songs shorter and I could maybe listen to this one again.
Good folksy alternative album, but once again a lot of the singer-songwriter albums on this list have a problem where the songs blend together to the point where it's hard to differentiate between songs.
3/5 I liked the americana/country elements of the album.
it was pretty good overall, the full band songs much better than the simpler stuff. just got boring about 30 minutes in and then had to kind of slog through the last 20 minutes
Jotenkin tosi pätevää ja hyvän kuullosta, mut silti ei oikeen vaan lähe.. emt onko liikaa pateeta ja tuottamista vai mikä, mut jotenkin kaikesta hyvästä huolimatta ei vaan oikeen nappaa mukaan.
Pretty good. What country could have become rather than Pick Up Trucks and what-not. Slower ones in the latter half dragged. Could have been a 10-track album and easily hit 4*
Would have been an easy 4 if not a 5 but I have issues when people refuse to be actually repentant for actions
Enjoyed
I was surprised by the sound of this album. This 2000 debut solo album from Ryan Adams has a roots rock, folky country indie sound, a sound that became popular in indie music during the early 2010s or so. But here Ryan Adams is, doing it long before that! The songwriting here is nice, and the vocals and instruments are peaceful and incredibly easy to listen to.
Ryan Adams? Heard of Brian Adams.... I prefer Brian... It's a pretty nice album. No complaints. Nothing really stands out as great. 3.5
I never heard much by Adams. This album was fine, a nice rock'ish and popp'ish collection of songs.
Yes that was pretty nice
Better than expected
20 year old me would probably have liked this more, some decent stuff but nothing mind blowing.
I was only able to give it one half-hearted listen while doing work. The sound is fine and reminds me of other stuff I like (like Wilco) but so far none of the songs really grabbed me.
Not sure what changed between now and 23 years ago. Not being surrounded by megafans going on about what a genius Ryan Adams is? Not being subjected to some iteration of his music whenever I was in Bellingham? Whatever the reason, the first half of this album was surpisingly enjoyable. Started to feel a little ballad heavy with the 2nd half, but might benefit from *not* being listened to as an album. Also, justice for Mandy Moore.
Rapist so deducted a star
Pretty good
No está mal, entiendo que en USA tenga una gran aceptación pero para mí le falta "punch". Le doy 3 estrellas justas. To be young y Come pick me up.
Strong 3.5, enjoyed much more than i thought.
3/5 - Really not my genre and nothing particularly stood out however the album was worth a second playthrough and I enjoyed it.
I remember nothing from it
Soft 3
No es mi disco favorito de Ryan, pero va bien.
Better than I thought it would be. Nice Americana flavors. This man is a sexual predator though.
Best Song: Come Pick Me Up. Never underestimate the melancholy qualities of the harmonica and a well-placed "fuck". Worst Song: Shakedown on 9th Street. He'd built a nice, thoughtful vibe, only to undo it with this White Stripes rockabilly. A fine enough song, but one that doesn't belong on this album. Overall: A quiet and contemplative album. This album is best when it's at its most raw and stripped down, relying only on sparse instrumentals and pained vocals. Its deviations into "rock" are wholly unnecessary and detract from the vibe of the rest of the album.
Un album de chialade que j'ai plutôt apprécié. J'ai tout de même deux remarques : - La formule "I miss you / Take me back to + nom d'Etat américain est à bannir définitivement. - La mandoline et l'harmonica sont deux instruments indésirables qu'il faut utiliser avec parcimonie voire dans l'idéal pas du tout.
C'était pas mal du tout à la surprise générale.
Meh. OK for a wanker. 3 stars.
ahhh the guy who Phoebe Bridgers absolutely eviscerated in "Motion Sickness" - I liked the one big hit on this album but the rest didnt stand out very much to me amongst the backdrop of your Jeff Buckleys and Elliot Smiths. I saw the potential but not sure it lived up to it. It was on in the background while I worked though so I will admit to only half listening to the lyrics. Would go 3.5
Opening track was my favorite. This kind of toed the line between good country and the overly sweet stuff I don’t like as much. I think it lost its way in the middle a bit.
Mooi, maar ook niks aparts
A little moody/gloomy, but I guess it's a breakup album. Solid country and rockabilly otherwise.
It was one of my sister’s favourite albums before his sexual harrassment lawsuits and the Mandy Moore divorce became public. It’s so hard to divorce the artist from the art. It’s funny that he was having an argument about Morrissey in the first track. Another narcissistic asshat. This was the real start of alt-country, I believe. I enjoyed despite the issues raised.
overall rating: 6.5/10 favourite song: to be young ( 9/10 ) runner up favourite: shake down ( 8/10 ) least favourite: to be the one ( 3/10 ) album cover: 9.5/10 vocals: 10/10 instrumentals: 7/10 would i recommend ? : i will tell my dad about it other: great start of the album with an argument about morrissey , morrissey is my favourite artist of all time. i’m pretty sure this is country which im really unfamiliar with.
🧌
It seems like this stuff comes more naturally to him than some of the other work he's produced and it shows. It's not as good as the artists he's inspired by/trying to piggyback on but it's still good, country-adjecent singer-songwriting stuff that is well thought out and stands up to a decent listen. 3.
I definitely preferred this to the other one of his we've had - this one is his attempt to be the lovechild of Bob Dylan and Neil Young rather than his previous attempt to be the new Bruce Springsteen. This one works better. It's pretty good country rock, better in the places where it veers more towards rock than it does country. 3/5, meanders a bit but there are a couple of good songs on there. Disappointed to hear that he (like too many of the artists on our list) is a bit of a piece of shit.
3.5
6/10
Quand même bien aimé considérant comment c'était pas mal country. J'appréciais un peu plus les pièces qui avait un appel orienté plus vers le rock évidemment. Les pièces plus douces où c'était principalement lui et sa guitare étaient très ternes par contre. 6/10
Heard it before?: No Enjoy it?: Yeah, it was decent, quite ballad orientated but not a bad thing Favourite song: Track 5 - Oh My Sweet Carolina
Fine singer songwriter type things
Påminner lite om Dylan. Lite svårbedömd. En tvåa eller trea.
This album did not feel like it came out in 2000. Immediately when it started I thought it was the 60's so the ambiance was impressive. Songs were good too, but nothing memorable in my eyes. Just another singer songwriter album that is def taking the place of a much better album on this list.
Reminds me a ton of Scott Miller and the Commonwealth. If you like this kind of music but want to listen to an artist who isn’t a scumbag, give Scott Miller a chance. I’m rating it a 3 but this would be a 4 easy if Ryan didn’t have such a terrible reputation now.
да хуй знает. Приятно фоном вопит че-то там про любовь. Но я не смог проникнуться любовью или уважением к этому альбому. Алкоальбом: пьешь водку и вспоминаешь бывшую
Блин, это точно альбом 2000ого года? Ему как будто надо было вместе с Дон МакЛином где-то существовать... или с Джони Кэшем... не, для Джони Кэша он слишком слащавый. Гармошка... ну, бесючая конечно, но не настолько там уж всё и плохо. Но лучше бы не было вообще, да.
Not my style/genre but can't really fault it too much either?
The music vacillates between country and Bob Dylan. That's not a bad thing necessarily, it's just something I observed while listening to him. The song I probably liked the least was "Bartering Lines," I felt that that one was getting way too repetitive. Dragged on way too much. There was a feeling of age to these songs, as if they were older than they appeared. Like Ryan had pulled them from some old songbook, and not written them himself. It was weird to hear that, like looking through a mist. You can make it out, but just barely. I liked his voice, and the way he duetted with a few others on the album. Ultimately, it worked well for a duet album. I definitely won't be him with BRYAN Adams anymore. So ultimately I liked it for its independence, singer / songwriter feel. I saw some of the albums or works he covered and I'm intrigued to hear how they sound against the original. Probably like a 3.4 for me.
9th May 2023 Listened during the day while working from home. Chilled evening, watched City Real. Young, problematic boy creates diet-Dylan album. 3.5 if I could.
Overall a slower paced emotional album, had a couple of tracks that I enjoyed!
Interesting experience. Something between 3 and 4.
Almost a 4
Isn't this the guy who rerecord one of Tswizzles albums?
This was OK. I wasn't wowed.
i had heard of ryan adams, but never heard any of his music. let me start out by saying that he’s very talented. having said that, i only thought three songs were pretty good. other than that, just not into it. most songs were pretty slow and kind of boring, in my opinion. highlights: “to be young”, “come pick me up”, shakedown on 9th street”.
Erica: it's almost like a cross between Bob Dylan and The Goo Goo Dolls. And that's not a bad thing. Bryant: I was ready to make a crack about him being one B away from greatness, but I've never heard of this guy and I really like it. This is my jam. Tracks 2-4 were really good. He really pumped the brakes at track 5 and I didn't like it as much. I'd probably like the slower tracks in a different headspace, but I'm not there right now. I've heard "Come Pick Me Up". After we get past the harmonica it's pretty good. 5-8 cost this album a star for me. Why do they leave... I can pretty much always go with less harmonica. Shakedown... Ohhh some greaser rock, I dug this. Don't ask... Meh In my time of need... Better as far as the slow ones. Sweet lil gal... Really good piano at first, but the vocals didn't hold it. Overall, I'll listen to this again, but it could have been better.
soft rock like this just doesn't do anything for me. Bring on the power ballads if you are going to do this kinda stuff.
This was ok
Apparently Ryan Adams is a bit of a cunt, which is a shame because his music is quite enjoyable. Not mindblowing, but comfortable like an old sweater.
I can appreciate Ryan Adams. Nothing all too special but a very decent folk album
A couple of great songs and a bunch of mediocre songs... the great ones are "To Be Young" and "Amy".
It's fine and all but Ryan Adams never is interesting to me, it's always just reminding me of other artists I'd rather listen to.
Pretty good, but a little more rootsy than I like.
While I wondered why the cover art is so similar to Boz Scaggs' Middle Man (and I know there is another one that did that but can't remember which one), I really liked Bartering Lines. The rest of the album sounded ok, everything is very well recorded, well played, there is a sense of intimacy, and the songs are easy on the ear, but I would still struggle to consider this one as an essential.
3*
Mazai klausiau ir actually jau nebepamenu
A harmless, enjoyable Country album. But don't let the country part put you off, its mostly accoustic singer/songwriter music. It's a bit Jeff Buckley esc, but somehow more about love songs (probably because that is what country is about). Overall I did enjoy the album 7/10
Mä tykkäsin tyypistä kovasti joskus vuosia sitten, mutta tätä levyä en tainnut kuunnella. Olin hetken innoissani, kun laitoin levyn soimaan - eka biisi oli aivan ihana - mutta sitten en enää jaksanutkaan niin keskittyä. Ihan jees tää silti oli, ei yhtä hyvä kuin myöhemmät levyt.
Tässä on jotain tuttua mutten osaa sanoa mitä. Ehkä tällänen aika Dylaninkaltainen viba tekee sen. Ei paha. 3/5
Oon näköjään alkanut vähän lämpenemään tälle levylle, vaikka itse artistia ei juuri huvita kuunnella. Mutta musaahan tässä arvioidaan, sanotaan 3/5.
Moderni kantri on ollu mulle aika vaikea genre. Levy on ihan mukiinmenevä, 2.5/5
Primer treball en solitari del que hauria de ser una discografia inacabable. I un dels millors, sobretot la primera part. Desencís, tristesa i desesperança que traspua en les lletres i la veu. Honestedat en estat pur
I had heard maybe one song by Ryan Adams before this album came up in the rotation, and it is quite good. And, wow, what an all-star lineup of musical artists helping out on this album: David Rawlings, Gillian Welch, and Emmylou Harris. Incredible.
A decent singer songwriter album. Adams has a solid voice and I like some of his later albums a bit more than this one. I’m sure since this is his first that’s why it’s on the list. Overall the music is pretty standard for a breakup album. It’s somber and remorseful. It has Americana vibes which I like. 6.3/10
1970 albumi aijaijai.. 2000 LUKU???????? KAVERI OLLU 30 VUOTTA KOOMASSA JA LAITTANU ALBUMIA PIHALLE??? KRÄÄÄÄ PPPPPPPHAAA!! hyvä albumi...
With the benefit of hindsight: nah. Perfectly serviceable etc, but nothing to take home with you. I guess this is why he is so prolific
Idem poslušat, ali mi se gadi već zbog toga što je napravio Phoebe Bridgers i ostalim ženama. Osjećam se užasno, ali jebiga, ima dobrih stvari, dobrih pjesama. Hvaljen je što se tiče glazbenog dijela, kad već ne ide sa ženama....jel? Tipa komentar: "I knew I’d eventually end up in a situation like this, where I’m forced to wrangle with the problem of whether an artist's shortcomings as a person invalidate their art." Nažalost, pun kurac ih ima u zabavnom svijetu takvih i jebo im pas mater. Uglavnom, ovo je odličan album za one koji prolaze *srcekidanje*. Meni je okej album, sviđa mi se, ali ne do granice te gdje bih se često vraćao na ovo. Alt-Country je the shit, paše mi. Međutim...
Album starts off very strongly, but it tails off quite a bit by the end. Favorite track: My Winding Wheel
(Argument with Jim B concerning Nolan)
It’s nice enough but I’m not too impressed with this kind of folk albums. I think I’ve had too much recently. Plus the guy sounds incredibly pretentious. 3/5 cause I liked the melody in the first track
Behalve zijn prachtige Taylor Swift cover plaat is er toch weinig van 'm wat me echt kan bekoren. 3 sterren voor je, Ryan! Maar alleen omdat ik weet dat je meer in je mars hebt.
This was a really good album to have playing in the background this morning. Not having heard this guy before, I had no expectations. Very nice voice and good music.
no me llamó mucho la atención
3 stars
I dived in expecting to hate it. Turns out I don't, but I'm not entirely sold either. It all started well, though. The first three tracks, "To Be Young", "My Winding Wheel" and "Amy" are stellar songs. The latter especially. It's not easy to write a Paul McCartney song when your name is not Paul McCartney. Even Paul McCartney himself can't do it sometimes. 😁 Unfortunately, everything after that great start soon lost me. You have melodies that are somewhat nice once in a while. Other times, you have more than decent lyrics, and funny one-liners, too (as in "Don't Ask for The Water"). The problem is that you rarely have *both* good music and good lyrics at the same moment during the course of this very drowsy and slow-moving alt-folk-country record. "Shakedown on 9th Street" woke me up a little from that snorefest in the middle of side 2. But then, it was business as usual. Worse, some of the hillbilly twang affectations sound fake on several tracks, whether on side one or on side two. And you have the uneasy feeling Ryan Adams thinks he's the next Bob Dylan, except that the songs are not good enough for that. It's a skilled simulacrum, though. For this, and for those first three songs, I'll give *Heartbreaker* three stars. Number of albums left to review: 767 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 117 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 57 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): 59 (including this one)
After the other one of his albums on the 1001 I was dreading having to listen to this. I was pleasantly surprised. It had a good raw, noncommercial sound that worked
Liked it better than I expected. Docking it a point because by all accounts Ryan Adams is a shitty dude. You should look into the allegations, including ones made by his ex-wife. 3/5
Overall, good vibes, kind of country / musique de lovers, had a good time but nothing exceptional ! Bisous Ryan
its okay, harmonica
now do summer of '69
It’s alright 7-8/10
It's fine but there's a lot that sounds like it out there
One of the lyrics is “as calm as a fruit stand in New York”
Some Mellow Country
Not bad, but his acoustic approach on this album doesn’t provide anything that hadn’t been done already to that point in music. Nothing really stands out after listening.
Ryan Adams' debut album with a, for me, unexpected country sound. Not bad and has a great duet with Emmylou Harris but overall just not memorable enough to warrant more than 3 stars
Funny that the album opens with some banter about Morrissey. Heartbreaker shares some jangly-Americana influences with Mozza's early solo albums. In addition, both vocalists have exhibited some behaviors that force fans to separate the tunes from the performers' personalities offstage. It's an alright album if you like Bruce Springsteen. The quiet songs are OK when they sound like Sufjan Stevens or Elliott Smith.
3/5
I had some hopes for this album just based on "To Be Young," which a is fun, energetic song. But the album actually is far more quiet and downbeat for the most part. Maybe I have to be in the mood, but I found the album just dragged for the most part. Fave Songs: My Winding Wheel, To Be Young (Is to Be Sad, Is to Be High), Come Pick Me Up, Amy, In My Time of Need
Putting aside the personality issues this is a good listen
This album made me sad but in a good way
Started off with a bang but then never really went anywhere from there
Damn fine western folk blend of Dylan and Neil Young, full of variety and pregnant pauses. I wasn't planning on getting anything out of this at all. Highly likeable.
A bit too quiet...
Oh, Ryan Adams, I wish you weren't such a terrible person. A fantastic songwriter. And a terrible person. The only thing he loves as much as his harmonica is being an abusive prick. This is as country as I can tolerate. It hits just right for me, in a sweet spot that I used to love. But Ryan Adams has spoiled all that. I'm gonna keep tapping my foot, because I can't help it, but he can shove his harmonica where the sun don't shine. This is a four-star album. But -1 because I just can't enjoy it in the same way anymore.
I used to love this album. It was my perfect rainy day music. Then came #metoo and a slew of allegations that he was a manipulative, abusive, lecherous fuck. Sigh. I can’t separate my feelings about the man from my feelings about the music. If I could, this would be a higher rating.
I’ll focus on the music because I didn’t read anything on this one (Ryan Adams is a dickhead based on inference). There’s a lot to like here musically. I prefer the more upbeat, honky tonk-ish sounding songs. Some of them are very good. Like the one with Carolina in it. But there are also some almost inaudible tracks too. I like a stripped down arrangement as much as the next person, but one requirement is that I shouldn’t have to double the volume to hear it. Some of the songs, the more stripped down ones that I could hear, were boring. There is more to like than not. However, I’m judging the album as a whole which has too many misses.
I’ve listened to a few of his albums and I reach the same conclusion each time. There are a couple of really good tracks and I really want to like the rest, but he disappears into self indulgent songs that aren’t really for anyone but himself. Started out a possible 4 but ended up a low 3. If it carried on it how it was going it would have been a 2.
Good instrumentation coming from the Taylor Swift cover artist.
Ehhhhh it was cool I guess
I'd have to give it another listen to fully appreciate it. Very good tunes here. 3.5/5
Se conmueve el vaquero que todos llevamos dentro.3
6/10
-”To Be Young (Is to Be Sad, Is to Be High)” sounds like Bob Dylan at a few points -Generally a little slow throughout a lot of the album -I quite like the upbeat pace of “Shakedown on 9th Street.” The distorted guitar and drums are great. -Overall nice, with some nice bits, but very slow in others. Not much pulling me back to listen again
7/10
Some hits and some misses.
Duller than I thought it might be
Better than I thought I would be, in a few parts he's got a pretty cool sound, a 60's Dylan / Donovan / Stones vibe which bands were adopting in the late 90s. But overall it cant escape the 2000's acoustic country pop drivel. 3 - It was was alright, would enjoy it if it was on the radio but probably wouldn't choose to put it on again.
It was alright although I wouldn’t seek it out. 3*