Gold - Ryan Adams

The sheer amount of records Ryan Adams has issued since Heartbreaker, his 2000 debut - three albums in 2005 alone - can prove daunting for anyone wishing to investigate the man's work. The number of guises he has adopted these past 8 years - hardcore country balladeer on Jacksonville City Nights, tongue-in-cheek Rawwwk Star on Rock N Roll, acoustic-hugging singer / songwriter on Heartbreaker - make matters even tricksier. Stunning as Heartbreaker is, it is Gold, the follow-up (officially, anyway - far more unreleased Ryan Adams albums - of uniformly high quality - are doing the rounds than anyone could ever have time to listen to) that is perhaps the best ...

Ryan Adams' Gold is one of my favourite albums. It's alt-country I suppose, but there is so much more to his songs than say your 'average' country rocker. Adams is incredibly prolific, and has made a huge number of albums on his own and with 'The Cardinals', its actually quite hard keeping up with the man! But I must say that this is the most consistent record he's made and the one I play the most. I did read a story once about Adams being taunted on stage by people shouting out for him to play 'Summer of '69' - much to Adam's annoyance. Don't get him and Bryan confused! Adam's has a huge talent of his own. All the songs are tinged with meloncholic atmosphere ...

We all know that the music business perpetuates itself through HYPE, be it in the teenage girlieboy-fest that is Smash Hits or the ‘serious music lovers’ guides like Q and Mojo. Every year a new genius is proclaimed, every month one album is branded an instant classic. And last year’s hype for the grown up serious music lover was Ryan Adams and his second album, ‘Gold’. Almost every music magazine and arts review I read in December 2001 had ‘Gold’ as its No. 1 Album of the Year. The Man Ryan Adams is an American who’s been around for a while making his own distinctive rockish, bluesish, ...