Heartbreaker

It's a solid record.

Not much of a country guy but this album might adjust that. Good tunes.

(33 known/70 new)

- bangin guitar - not to be a John Mayer fan but I feel like this guy’s up there - delightfully mournful - twang - less country less 80s slower bruce springsteen? - man sometimes nothin hits like a simple harmony - huge fan of woman that rains. “sound as an old engineer” is funny - my kind of album; I think it also just matches my particular vibe today

Ryan adams is playing in San Diego today so I figured id listen to this and if it changed my life I can go to the concert I like his one song la cienega just smiled on the last album we got but this was kinda meh. not bad and I feel like its def my type of music but it feels like its missing something, idk what. high 3.

6/10 - man is trying to be bob dylan with the harmonica but it’s not going great. Not bad but not amazing.

Some parts sounded like Springsteen and Dylan, and some parts were a bit too sad boy country for me. Mid

Good listen.

Though not my bag, there's an impressive, debut-artist-arriving-fully-formed quality here that I can appreciate, even if I can't get behind much of the sound.

I bought this in 2000 but I hadn't listened to it in at least 15 years. To Be Young and My Sweet Carolina (those Emmylou Harris backing vocals!) in particular reminded me why I liked Ryan Adams at the time, but I can also see why I never really revisit this. Even taking his personal life out of it, there are early signs that quality control wouldn’t be his strong point and the Dylan knock-offs are a lot more blatant than I remembered.

Zzzzzzzzzz 1.9

This album is much better than I honestly like to admit. I didn't care for the other Ryan Adams album I've had so far, but this one is pretty diverse in its sounds and is pretty good for a "modern" singer songwriter (I know this already 25 years old). The opening trio is really good, with my favorite probably being Amy. Its subdued and lets the softness do all the work. Come Pick Me Up is also really good, the banjo is nice to hear as that instrument is definitely underrepresented 600 albums in.

Bob Dylan

Notwithstanding the person, this isn't to me as strong an album as others he's released. Mid 2s for me.

definition of “easy listening”

I prefer Whiskeytown but there are some bops on this

Listened Before? N Really good album. I understand he's a POS but musically this is very good. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: None so he doesn't get money.

Not what I was expecting. Soothing in a way. Not stand out though.

was an easy listen but I don't think I will come back to it

I don’t know anything about Ryan Adams as a person. Society has essentially erased him. In fact, this is the first time I’m hearing about him, which is a shame, because this album is really good. It’s got all the folksy goodness of Bob Dylan, but sung by a smooth, sultry voice. The run from Amy to Damn Sam was awesome. At the end it was a bit long and meandering, though.

Mid

Couldn't really get into this one.

My first DNF in the list. Just was not connecting with it at all. Some nice little guitar moments in what I did hear.

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

Reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen's "Nebraska".

I had written actual thoughts about the album, but can easily sum it up with one word: Boring. Then I did a little background research and found out that Adams is a pretty serious sex pest. Dull music, made by a horrible person. Favourite tracks: none of the ones I heard, made it halfway or so through...

This album really won me over. I’d heard of Ryan Adams but never dug into his music until this album. I went in with no expectations, thinking I’d either love it or not connect at all—and thankfully it’s a gem. It’s rooted in alt-country and indie folk, with a raw unpolished production that gives it a gritty roots-rock edge. The songs are mostly intimate and mellow, carried by delicate acoustic fingerpicking, while piano and organ gives it this warm, atmospheric vibe. A few upbeat tracks bring out some lively spark, that rounding out the mood beautifully.

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.

Didn't I already listen to a Ryan Adams album? So that means there's two of them on here? Nothing else I should listen to before I die except a second Ryan Adams album? Sheesh.

Only middling, certainly too long and slow at the end. Also hard to come to this fresh and find everything about it distasteful. Oh well, don't be horrible to people if you want them to be unbiased.

Big fan of his ethics, had no idea he made such boring music. I really don't like how boring this one is. Supposedly a great songwriter but this rivals Eversnore in terms of boredom. It finally picked up a little towards the end but it was too little and much too late. For a singer-songwriter he doesn't seem to do a whole lot of songwriting nowadays. All his new releases are just covers of other more interesting songwriters.

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

4.9 - He really is a world class song writer and honestly I think this is a timeless album. He's such a weirdo but can't deny the incredible musician

Quite a nice time. Fave Tracks: To Be Young (Is to be Sad, Is to Be High), Amy 3.4/5

I liked it, exactly the kind of chill album I needed for my morning. If I could, I’d give it 4.5 stars.

This was lovely. Like drinking bourbon on a hot evening under a ceiling fan on a southern porch. It isn't Country exactly, but closest to that genre. Come Pick Me Up is especially enjoyable, but I am a sucker for a harp. I suspect Mr. Adams will fall victim to low ratings because of the struggle to separate the art from the artist. I'm going with rating the music, I guess.

pretty ok, but not my main style/

Really good one!

I just can't.

theres like 2-3 good songs here

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'm not a big fan of this style of country/singer songwriter music. It's very minimalist and quiet but that also comes across as one dimensional and boring to me.

He and his music don't do it for me.

Well, shit. I was dreading this. If we can truly separate the art from the artist, this is one of the most hauntingly beautiful records of all time for me. The songs are deep, introspective and gorgeously written. If we can't, Ryan Adams is a despicable piece of shit. Nope, can’t do it.

Unrepentant dirtbag makes 50 minutes feel like four hours while proving, once again, that harmonica sucks.

I like the rockers and songs that don’t draw from Dylan. But other wise feels a tad generic.

In my college days in the late aughts, everything by Ryan Adams was gold to me. Now that I know what a piece of trash he is, it’s hard to want to listen to it again.

nice and sad

Liked it better than I expected. Some real "not bad" moments.

Ignoring wonderwall Ryan Adams is a defining voice of american music. Unfortunately that voice isnt very good. this album may have defined a whole generation of aging mid-american parents but everything done here has been done better elsewhere. Folk tracks come off as Bob Dylan written by committee, romance songs sound like parodies of themselves, the country tracks feel like a dark warning of country to come. The lyrics have not a shred of originality, this album feel defined by platitudes. There are some pleasant guitar chords in the background but this is one generic, default, empty nothingburger album overall and ultimately, isnt that the worst thing music can be?.

Sure! Yeah

Overall I found it to be a little low-effort, I like lots of his stuff but this was a bit mixed song-quality-wise.

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.

когда я расставался, точно не слушал такую нудную музыку. она может быть и бьет лирикой, но не музлом точно

Not enough art to separate it from the artist. Boring.

Well, I started this and liked the songs I heard, but then I was informed that this guy is a major creep, so I stopped listening.

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

As what feels like a precursor to stomp-clap-hey music, this is better but maybe worse because of what it inspired. There's certainly more variety - no one can deny Adams' talent, but 25 years on it feels a little empty. Integrating Dylan into your songs is clever, but empty. Plaintive slow guitars in between the rockier stuff feels empty. Maybe because this genre got hollowed out by the 'mersh 10-15 years down the line, but I can't get behind it. Really drags in the back half.

Surprised at how much I enjoyed this - I initially judged an album by its cover like a fool but thought there were some excellent songs and lyricism in here. Call Me On Your Way Home and Oh My Sweet Carolina were my faves

What an incredibly sweet album, particularly enjoyed the discussion in track 1

Pretty good. Was always out off because of wonderwall but he seems like a decent lad

Fine. Bonus point for the harmonica

certain songs were very nice and pleasant and creative and made me appreciate the musicianship a lot, and then there were others that reminded me i am getting ran over by the giant green john deere tractor

Don't try to recreate the album cover. Almost choked on my Popeye candy stick

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

A seriously impressive debut, and another example of the criminality of not being able to give half stars.

7/10 I admire it for being a sort of foundation for the better Contemporary/Alt-Country that exists today, it’s a pristine sounding album that carries a lot of emotion and a slick sheen. The Bob Dylan influences are pretty obvious and at points get a bit distracting, but it’s consistently a really good sounding album in spite of its shortcomings in songwriting. Can an emo boy and a country boy really fall in love 🥺

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.

Before I start - if you voted this record poorly because this guy is a predator but you have people like Bowie, Kanye, Miles Davis, John Lennon, any 80's metal band, or the kiddy-fiddler-quartet aka Led Zeppelin in your top artists, just know you're a moron and a hypocrite. Either you seperate all the artists from the music, or none. You can't just choose to ignore one piece of shit's proclivities over another just because you like that artist's music more. Anyways, aside from the above, the first half of album was a snoozefest. The kind of shit your mum puts on during the day after her valiums have kicked in. You know how Americans really like recreating successful British TV shows and they usually always fail in comparison? This is that except in this case he's aping Damien Rice. Still, I didn't hate it, the start was super boring and I generally just don't subscribe to crybaby rock - but otherwise, the latter half was really enjoyable and the harmonica went hard. Bang on average record I'd say. Can't see myself coming back to any songs in a hurry.

Very dull alternative country that I don’t see myself wanting to listen to again. Not my cup of tea whatsoever. Knowing this site more people were probably upset by the intro referencing Morrissey than the knowledge of this guy being a rapist

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.

51 minutes felt like 10, i was gonna say none of the tracks particularly stood out but then the middle of the album hits, stays good till the end. 8/10

Stephen King is historically a fan of Adams, stating in 2007, "I won't say Adams is the best North American singer songwriter since Neil Young... but I won't say he isn't either" LMFAO Robert Christgau of The Village Voice selected "To Be Young (Is to Be Sad, Is to Be High)" as a "choice cut",[15] indicating a "good song on an album that isn't worth your time or money." Imagine living in the day and age where you would have to pay for the privilege to listen to shit like this Highlights: To Be Young (Is to Be Sad, Is to Be High)

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.

This is #day212 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... following OK Computer with this one feels downright brutal. Another "alternative" country, an early 2000s country, to be precise. Who cares about country in the new millennium? Damn, I could name a dozen albums that deserve a spot on this list more than this one. Dude should definitely hold his horses—he’s been cranking out 15 albums since 2020. I was ready to bail by Bartering Lines. So I did. What do you mean there's another album by this guy on the list? Looking forward to #day213.

Yawn. Idc.

Fuck Ryan Adams but I can't deny that this album is fucking gorgeous.

I like Ryan's cover of Wonderwall and this record hasn't really convinced me he's any better than that. It was much more mellow than I expected and all very samey? Also on the basis he was cancelled (not sure if he still is) I don't feel too bad about rating this low

Not very memorable. Songs were okay, but nothing dynamic. 2/5 Won’t listen again

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

1 - vos yeules 2- ok, oui. Ça y va. Mais ça semble de la pastiche raboutée ensemble, comme Foxygen. 3- je toff pas l’album si il chante avec cette intonation de ti chien qui distortionne 4- du Elliott smith pour pogner avec les filles. Je crois que j’aurais aimé ça en 2004, avant de connaître wilco 5 - toune de cul avec des noms de ville, des bus pis de la poussière qui sonne aussi faux que Céline Dion qui chanterait Fuck da police. Bright eyes a voulu copier ça avec son album folk, jusqu’à engager Emylou Harris lui aussi. J’hais ça. 6 - ouf… Mon père tripperait. C’est le temps de dire que j’hais la pochette. 7 - heille 8 - c’est plate. 9 - pov ti Chou 10 - ok je skippe 11 - WAKE UP ESTI, étouffés toé avec ton harmonica 12 - ok, mais c’est pas vraiment bon. Je pense que le père d’Andrew aimerait ça. Le reste des tounes, c’est plate. J’hais ca.

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.

Un beau gros mélange de bah et de bof. "Rien à voir, circulez." comme disait la police aux gens qui essayaient de voir si j'avais survécu à un 2e accident d'affilé dans le même Tim Hortons.

This album starts on a really high note, then drops off and plateaus for a while. Lots of slow, melancholy music that just barely holds my interest. It’s really well done for the most part, the production is there. But again with the harmonica? yeesh…

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.

Dreary stuff this.

meh, not bad, just kind of background and boring

Good

Sad

I'm probably prejudiced against him. On first listen this album is inoffensive.

Album opens with probably it's best song (not including the opening enterlude?), and then proceeds to not do anything particularly varied or exciting past then. I don't think a lot of these songs are anywhere near terrible, but I'm giving the album a 2 cause the guys an arsehole.

Nothing special

Too bad Ryan Adams is such a creep.

Kivaa rauhallista kantria. Akustinen kitara ja laulu pääosassa. Eikä ole Bryan Adams. Parhaat: Oh My Sweet Carolina, Why Do They Leave, In My Time of Need

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

Boring musician. Everything sounds the same.

Really exquisite songwriting, some excellent jangly tunes, and some somber ones. The album tapers a bit at the end and ends a bit sour, but is no less impactful as a folksy exposure. Speaking of exposure…. Ryan really sucks as a person and a performer. Serious talent. Serious issues.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

To Be Young

I don't like country and this album did not convince me otherwise. What a drag.

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.

Maybe it’s because I’m super tired today but nothing about this stuck out in particular to me. Decent enough to listen to maybe should listen to one more time on a more awake day and see if I like it more.

Boring, a clinical Nashville made album

Wasn't expecting this but I liked it. Very Bob Dylan/Bruce Springsteen. First song sounded straight outta highway 61

I didn’t end up finishing it but it was pretty neat up to around the half way point atleast

Well hey, there's the heartbroken soundtrack to my late 20s and early 30s. Great album.

What an asshole

Э, ну такое. Лучшая песня - Come Pick Me Up.

You're immediately hearing echoes of Gram Parsons, then Emmylou turns up on backing vocals. He may be an arse but his music is good.

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.

Why the fuck is this in the list? Beige. Bland. Lame. Repetitive. Samey. Embarrassingly clichéd lyrics. Such a fucking borrrreeeeeeee It's a no from me

Not bad, I did enjoy but giving it 1 star because Ryan Adams is a creeper.

This was nice 3.5 stars

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.

I didn't hate it but it did drag on a little. also, he sounds like a bit of a dick so I'm glad both of his albums are out of the way.

Dude may be a bit of a prick but he writes a good tune

Not bad... a little slow but not bad

круто

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

Really didn't like this. It was too slow and whiny for me. Best song was Shakedown on 9th Street but it sounds like it's from a totally different album.

Some really good songs but the genre has engulfed this album

Really really solid 4. Great country

The songs here are an easy listen and aren't too long where you're waiting for the end. I don't really have any complaints, despite not expecting to want to revisit this one. The verdict: - This album is good (3 stars) - Ryan Adams is not (-1 star)

No thanks

I could barely hear this in my car because of his refusal to do anything instrumentally. His singing is probably fine but he's unwilling to make a hook or chorus. Each of these songs that I heard should have been on a B-side. This whole album feels unfinished and apparently he didn't even have a name for this album and the label gave him 15 seconds to come up with one.

This was pretty average to bad. It’s modern country music disguised as rock in some bits. “Amy” was the highlight. I guess he’s also a piece of shit? Forgettable.

As far as country albums go this isn't bad. It's a quick listen, the guy's voice is interesting, and the music is fine enough. Does this deserve to be in the list of best/most important/whatever the criterion of this list is? I would say no. I'd still instinctively switch radio stations if it were playing.

Skaplig singer songwriter/country/poprock typ. En låt som tilltalade mig, resten var rätt meh

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

Ryan Adams is, by all accounts, a shitty person—but Heartbreaker is undeniably a impressive debut. Raw, vulnerable, and steeped in alt-country tradition, it’s a confessional masterpiece that captures the pain and beauty of falling apart. With its stripped-down production, Dylan-esque swagger, and moments of emotional brilliance, it feels like an album made in a single tear-streaked breath. Problematic? Absolutely. But even shitty people sometimes make great art, and Heartbreaker earns its spot on the 1001 Albums to Listen to Before You Die list—begrudgingly or not.

🌟

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?

Was hoping to hate it based on the fact that he is a sex pest. I annoyingly quite liked it

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

first song was ok, the rest is just bad dylan wannabe bs

Reminds me of Blue Rodeo (Worth another listen) To Be Young My Winding Wheel Oh My Sweet Carolina Bartering Lines Call Me In Your Way Back Home Come Pick Me Up Why Do They Leave? Sweet Lil' Gal

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.

Another one that'll fall into the abyss of "objectively fine, but just not for me". The country twang and harmonicas over soulful songs will definitely be someone's jam, but it sure ain't mine.

Ahh.. nothing special here really

Apparently this guy sucks in real life

4-

This sounds like someone trying to br bob Dylan so much that at times I get a little second hand embarrassment while listening. 51 mins is an awful long time to listen to something that's so derivative. Doesn't help that he's a creep, but you try to look by that when I'm trying to evaluate an album. Cringey like the front cover. Try hard.

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).

Every couple of years, I try to get into country music. The first time I did that in the early 2010s, I figured that I should start with a subgenre that is close to the music I actually like, so, because of alt-country’s proximity to punk music, I figured I’d start there, and a quick google search led me to Ryan Adams’ Heartbreaker. And I don’t know what to say. While it wasn’t what I was looking for back then, it’s hard to deny that Adams is a great songwriter, and these songs are timeless. This is a quintessential heartbreak album, and one oozing emotion with every guitar strum. While it’s got a little bit of bloat and his style can start to feel repetitive, I think the material stands on its own. For obvious reasons, I rarely revisit this album any more, and I also don’t need to, emotionally-speaking, but this listen confirmed that it is still great country music that anyone can enjoy. Good songs are good songs are good songs, and Heartbreaker is filled with them.

Amazing. Killer. Greatness

To Be Young and My Winding Wheel set a really solid scene for this album. Oh My Sweet Carolina would be a good song to try and sing. Same with Why Do They Leave? Its maybe a little too silky and melancholic on the back end for me to give it 5 stars but holy moly a great album.

mais uma vez rock. eu não aguento mais rock.

mais um da lista que tem milhões de exposeds (inclusive da phoebe bridgers) e processos por ser um merda! lol dito isso alt country (?) é meu ovo. chatão a beça, sem sal e pau mole. só num dou 1 estrela pq é bem produzido. alguém tentou.

A good album by a deeply shitty person

Beautiful alt country album

A bit anonymous

The harmonica pieces turn me off incredibly :(

Hes a little dylan, and little costello, but pretty cool.

way more misses than hits. also, dude is an asshole.

Boring

Goh, een beetje te veel neuten naar mijn goesting. Ik ken het niet, dacht dat ze de B waren vergeten. 2.4

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.

Alun rento jutustelu todistaa, että nämä muusikot ovat ammattilaisia. Musiikki? Geneeristä, sentimentaalista. Sanoinko jo geneeristä? 1,5

I wish I didn't like it as much as I do.

Like a proto Jason Isbell...beautiful alt country that is just one notch too bland to keep my interest.

Know what's really terrible? The inclusion of a Morrisey argument as a track and this much harmonica.

An interesting listen. I wasn’t sure what to expect having only heard the name but not the music. I ended up having an enjoyable experience with this album although I didn’t listen to the lyrics too intently. I didn’t think I would like it as much as I did.

Thought the music was okay - but then I did some research on him and don't like him

It's so unremarkable that I'm honestly a little angry that someone thought it's worth recommending, let alone putting on a list of 1001 important albums

Day one of a much longer commute, so I was hoping for a set of bangers. I didn’t get them This just washed over me. I can’t imagine why I’d ever want to listen again

Irrespective of whatever bad things he did, this is pretty bloodless 2000s Americana, no bueno. I'd much rather listen to Summer of '69.

Good dinner music

Really liked the follow up album "Gold" - but this rather washed over me - a bit generic and a bit forgettable.

Heartbreaker I listened to this A LOT back in the day when I was really into Ryan Adams. I absolutely loved Gold and then worked back to this and Whiskeytown but by the time of Love is Hell I started to drift away and haven’t listened to him much at all. I think his douchiness put me off him before all the sexy predator stuff. Aside from the douchiness and the nostalgic rush this is a good little album. It’s definitely a bit patchy and can feel longer than it actually is, and there is more than a hint of self mythologising sad eyed I’m a poet fuckboy about it, but there are some great songs and the relatively spare production is excellent, perfectly in keeping with the deliberately loose and slightly ragged feel. I always liked To Be Young a great Dylan-esque rocker, he’s good at these sorts of things, but the more plaintive acoustic tracks are probably the tracks that work best on here, the run of Winding Wheel (the organ is great on this), Amy, Oh My Sweet Carolina, Bartering Lines is superb, and Emmylou’s appearance on Oh My Sweet Carolina is great. I like the chorus of Call Me on Your Way Back Home, but the overall mauldin nature of the track is a bit trying. The lyrics on Damn, Sam have always annoyed me, a kind of teenager’s idea of romanticism, but are ultimately hollow. That mawkishness does bubble to the surface on occasion down the back half. Come Pick Me Up I’m not that keen on,To Be The One is great in it’s almost Nebraska-esque sparseness, but Why Do They Leave, from the title to the melody, and despite Gillian Welch’s backing vocals it’s all a bit too overwrought. Shakedown, despite being a rather prosaic rocker is welcome burst of energy. In My Time of Need is another great, spare ballad, and the piano on Sweet Lil Gal is a nice variation on the banjo/guitar and has a nice ghostly ambience. He is clearly a great songwriter, there are great melodies and hooks throughout, but revisiting this now I do cringe at some of the lyrics I was into as a 22 year old. Overall though it is a very good album, a bit patchy in the middle but up to Bartering Lines it is truly excellent and it finishes strongly as well. Combine that with the nostalgia and it pushes it into the 4s. 💔💔💔💔 Playlist submission: Oh My Sweet Carolina

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.

Boring

A beautiful masterpiece. Im not into folk or country pop bit this album is absolutely a diamond. I loved it and the storytelling was great I suffered what this dude was all sappy about. I hate whoever did Ryan dirty.

This surprised me. I thought I knew Ryan Adams but this was much better and well composed than I had expected.

In 2024 this one no longer sounds very original, but I still enjoyed the listen. He was obviously influenced by Steve Earle.

I might have liked it if it had more of the fast/bluesy songs... But only 2 or 3 isn't enough.

Loved it. Inject it straight into my veins. Come Pick Me Up is 10/10.

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

Enjoyed a lot

2.5

Strong Dylan vibes at times. Overall a strong album with a lot of good tracks. Very enjoyable.

2 stars - Now if he was actually related to Bryan Adams instead of just sharing his birthday with him, it would have been 3 stars. :)

What an incredible album. When you're young you get sad is such a stellar track, but the whole thing is filled with artistry, emotion, poetry, and more. One of the better discoveries in this project

I listened to this album on a road trip and it was supremely irritating how you'd turn up the quiet parts to hear if anything interesting was happening only to be blasted into oblivion a few seconds later. I'm no producer but feels like the mix was weird. Also all of the songs were insanely boring, and apparently the artist is an abusive jerk. Overall: BAD.

Awfully dull, painfully tasteful, necro-Americana in pre-worn denim drinking decaffeinated country, this intrigues me with its success: did the turn-of-century zeitgeist really embrace such soporific material? Was this popularity a sublimated invitation to the ghastly horrors that followed the prematurely declared End of History? This is my second - hopefully last - review of a Ryan Adams album and also only my second - perhaps last - mention here of the September 11 attacks which were, as aptly described by Norm MacDonald, a National Tragedy. As to Ryan Adama’ involvement, I have no proof.

Aw hell naw! What a flaccid dribble this is. So much that is dreadful I cannot even start to memorialize here. Continuing this week's theme: "Tres Hombres"; 4/5, tight and tuneful boogie. "La Grange" I knew, the rest was a treat. "Thank Christ For The Bomb"; 5/5 (provisional) - so good! Heavy and exciting enough for this blues-agnostic cynic. McPhee seems extremely talented, and the rhythm section equally so. Might well purchase if the Xmas cheer continues Merry Christmas to one and all (except Ryan fucking Adams who is as poor a musician as a human being)!

Af hverju er þetta hér? Ekki beint vont í eyrun, en heilt yfir afleitt (derivative sum sé), ósannfærandi og óeftirminnilegt.

Very Bob Dylan-esque, without the indecipherability of Dylan. All songs very mellow, but enjoyable.

I didn’t know his music but I heard this guy was a massive twat. Turns out music written by a reprehensible nobhead is also shit

dude am i on my Evil Horny Boy streak or what. getting these two after alanis morissette is starting to make me think she has a point ab men! i literally first heard about ryan adams hearing ab his abuses back in the metoo wave , a memory that only sticks with me upon finding out that its Not in fact the summer of 69 guy. its a little difficult than to form a meaningful relationship with his music after the fact, but its made all the worse by the fact that his artistic persona is Sensitive and Sad and Regretful For What Could Have Been etc etc...just goes down bad with not just the knowledge that he's a douche but the Specific knowledge that he'd attempt to sabotage ppl who rejected him lol. the actual music seems okay...this is not my genre of expertise so im pretty unconfident in my ability to judge it as especially remarkable but theres absolutely at least a few beautiful melodies on here...come pick me up in particular stopped me in my tracks after almost losing consciousness in the sleepy cozy vibes (helped by great production). i kinda wanna be more generous to it based on those moments but i cant deny how huge a piece of the puzzle i feel like im missing not being able to buy into most of the lyrics...i could imagine myself getting emotionally lost in this , but in This universe i cant get much closer than a fairly vast distance

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.

I've read a lot of reviews that have given Adams a lower rating based off all the sexual harassment allegations against him; I had look this up myself, as I was unaware, and just curious in general. Although I don't condone this type of behavior, I'm not going to factor this into my review, which is still low regardless. I honestly felt like this album was just "meh," purely lazy songwriting on Adam's part, not to mention, boring melodies.

Put aside Ryan Adams the person, and you have one of the best songwriters of his generation.

good but not the tops

Verrassend goed. Zet hem nog een paar keer op.

Luistert wel oke weg, niks dat ik al niet heb gehoord en het is nou niet heel spannend ook

Great lyrics and solo display. will give a second listen. Good mid-energy album to have on as it spans a few genres and doesn't get boring or repetitive.

This was far too country for my tastes. Rating: 2

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.

This is the kind of country music I really like. This album sounds like something much older.

failed to impress. His other album on the list was much better.

I think I rate Ryan Adams less as a result of what the generator has shown me; I came in having enjoyed his 2017 album 'Prisoner' a fair bit, but this album and Gold are less to my tastes. There are a few moments where he doesn't even try to hide how much he wants to sound like Bob Dylan... but more often he sounds less like one particular artist and more like all mid-tempo Americana ever. It's just a bit cliched musically - I don't hear any individuality coming through. There are some nice moments, sure, but it's mostly pretty bland stuff.

Really forgettable. A bit wet.

I listened to this record a ton after it came out. It's as close to a personal classic as you can get. Love it forever.

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…

A really great album. I feel like it could grow on me over time.

Excellent. I enjoyed listening to this one immensely! Somber, solemn, exciting, cohesive - I felt like this all came together nicely. 'Come Pick Me Up' was my fave here. Side note, I ended up falling into a rabbit hole and listening to "Orion" - which is a metal album from this guy. It's on YouTube - and not half-bad. I recommend giving it a try if you have any passing interest - it felt weirdly unique and it's probably a lot more obscure than it ought to be.

This is a breath of fresh air. I hadn't ever heard this album before, but it's really good. Maybe not something that's going to withstand the test of time in 50 years, but it's just a good solid listen.

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

Seems fine, just went by and nothing stood out for me. Will I listen to again: 0%

I really liked this. Ryan Adams is one of those artists I've never really engaged with. It's a good, consistent album.

I found this oddly pleasant. Would listen to him again.

I thought this was a beautiful and mellow sounding. I wasn't able to pay close attention to the lyrics but was really digging the vibe. I'll be wanting to return to this again though I think.

Competent, at times soulful but mid 3.2

More fucking harmonica!!

ok, but nothing to get excited about. The harmonicas filled me with rage.

first listen lot of nice variety, strong songwriter

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.

Very very good, would listen to this again. Good broken heart album

If I could rate this entire album based on the song \"To Be Young\" it would be five stars. There are some other great tracks on here, but they don't share the same sentiment or energy of that track. That being said, this is the album that led me to purchase several other Ryan Adams releases and Whiskeytown releases.

Quite enjoyed this

Fuck this dude, album’s dogshit too.

As far as country-flavored music goes, this wasn't too bad. 2.4 stars.

Started out really strong, and I was like “Yeah!” But got a bit bored in the middle and I was like “Oh…” But by the end I was like “🌝”

Great alt country and yes, suede head is on Bona drag and Viva hate

Judging the album, and not the person, I did really enjoy this.

It wasn't the album I wanted and ended up being the one I needed. I get it now.

Too whiney

The album starts pretty well. It still looks like a low-cost Bob Dylan, but it's pretty good. The following songs become more and more blame, and the album's end is almost anti-climax. Maybe I'll give it another chance on another day, but for now, I can only rate it with 2.5 stars.

2000. Alternative country, roots rock

A slow monday morning was probably the perfect time for this album. Lovely country vibes, gorgeous slow songs. Will definitely have to check out more of his stuff.

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.

RA debut impressed Elton appaz. No so much I. Singer songwriter alt country Americana. Nothing stands out. Also he's a bit of a dick.

This is an ok album. You can give it a listen and it’s pleasant and interesting. It has some objectively good songs, such as “Amy”. However, after a couple of rounds I didn’t feel this to be a very original journey. When I think of great albums, I think of a more cohesive and ambitious project, a narrative or a concept. “Heartbreaker” is a satisfying collection of songs (some good, some not so much), but there is nothing particularly ambitious or groundbreaking in this output.

Low impact cardio music.

Not for me.

Not for me.

This continuation of Dylan has the benefit of having some masterful musicians on staff (Dave Rawlings and Gillian Welch… wow!). And “in my time of need” is definitely just repackaged “if I needed you” by TVZ. At any rate, this album plays well and holds up well. It clearly had a huge influence on things we’re still hearing today from Jason Isbell for example. It would be a 5 but I can’t seem to ignore the self-righteous person lingering behind the tracks. Who starts an album airing out a petty argument with their producer?

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 longer I take part in this project, the more I come into contact with country music. In the past, I tended to dismiss this type of music, but now I recognize one or two gems in it. Ryan Adams' Heartbreaker is not one of them. I thought the first song was going to be quite interesting. A little later, however, I was so annoyed by the backing vocals in the chorus that I switched to the next track. This happened several times after that. The best thing about the rest of the album was that it didn't interest me. 1/5

Surprised how much I liked it. I was expecting it to be pretty boring country, and sure it's got anything crazy, but it's so damn nice to listen to.

This is great. I get not liking the person, but the music is excellent.

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

I like a few tunes on here and Adams has made a few that I like a lot more than anything on this album - but a lot of this was just putin' me to sleep.

Pretty decent

Hold on, so Ryan Adams wrote the Old School song!!! That was unexpected. To Be Young and the amazing Oh My Sweet Carolina are the standouts on a very good album filled with broken heart folk-rock. 8.3/10

Mood dependent, but I enjoyed it yesterday

Why is this list full of cliche mid music?

Pretty good singer songwriter album 3.5/5 1. To be young 2. Oh my sweet Carolina 3. Why do they leave

don't care for this genre, skimmed thru it; no rating

Pretty good country record

This is a garbage album from a garbage human being. Boring ass country music that I hit stop on a handful of songs in because I started to rage at how annoying the music was.

The fact that Ryan Adams started this record off with an argument about Morrissey might be the most hilarious foreshadowing of character in the history of recorded music. Peas in a pod, those two. I wasn’t planning on making this a review about the moral fiber of Ryan Adams, enough of you have done that already. It’s just that sometimes the universe/matrix/whatever puts something in front of you and you have no choice but connect the (hilarious) dots. The music here was fine, expertly played country music with an alternative tinge. It’s not for me, but if it works for you, that’s great. The Morrissey thing ended up being so on-the-nose and amusing to me that it became the focal point of the record, almost like a thesis, though I assume that is in no way what the track was intended to be.

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.

Really enjoyed this but fuck that guy

zur ruhig, zu "country"

I did like this one more than his other album on the list but that’s a low bar. Rating: 2.1

It’s like he went to Bob Dylan’s house to raid his fridge. But he forgot to bring a cooler so the food went bad

An alright album. Nothing to really get me excited or that I didn't like.

Bland. Very bland. 3/10

hated his wonderwall cover. i enjoyed this album quite a lot more than i expected though. reminds me a bit of damien rice but less pop/accessible. unfortunately googled him and saw he's a really awful person. even without that some of these songs go on for too long or have sounds that just don't work. Ranking it as a 3.5/4 for the music, but I think this is pretty inessential as there's similar sounding things that are better and not made by someone grim

i like this a lot less than i like other circa-2000 indie alt-country.

i've heard to be young before and i gotta say i thought it was from the 70s. it's pretty good. the rest of it sounds like it's from 2000 but is trying to be from the 70s and was pretty bad.

Not a fan! I didn't like his voice, and the songs all kind of felt the same. I don't enjoy the faux vulnerability of this genre of country rock.

slotting this beside norah jones in the "dull but inoffensive" rankings. 1.5

Did I dislike this album, or am I poisoned by my knowledge of Ryan Adams as human being? At any rate, I really didn't enjoy this listen. It felt like I heard the same song three times. Reading a critique to try and gain some insight just led me to conclude that some people think anyone singing with a bit of a Southern accent is making introspective country music. sadboy pitchfork fodder (derogatory)

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.

Needs salt and pepper and flavour.

SUMMER OF 69!!!!!

Contains a number of great songs and despite a couple of mishits (when you're young you get sad and you get high etc) still my favourite RA album. score in 2000: 8/10 score in 2024: 8/10

Excellent Americana album. Great contributions from Gillian Welch, Emmylou Harris, and others.

Songs with the right hooks, tasteful instrumentation and very appealing vocals: a personal favourite indeed.

5/5. This is a sweet album to listen, very country and quiet for the most part but beautiful songwriting. A great breakup album honestly and really fits the aesthetic it is going for. I am finding out more that this man is a country artist when I always thought he was rock. Glad I was introduced to these, bypassing the recent releases. Hard to find any fault on this one, it is just a series of great songs and a wonderful album front to back to listen to. Also, I am rating this on the listening of the album since that is the point of this list. Best Song: To Be Young, Oh My Sweet Carolina, In My Time of Need, Why Do They Leave?

Good acoustic songwriter stuff.