Sweet Black Magic February 4, 2009

God, I love it when Ryan Adams gets folky.  This is right up there with “Pearls On A String” for my favorite folk/bluegrass style song of his.  I think one of the reasons I like this one so much is because it breaks one of the major rules of bluegrass.  While a lot of songs refer to simpler times in the Southeastern/Midwestern rural U.S., he goes ahead and modernizes it with references to Los Angeles and drugs…  Not exactly “Keep On The Sunny Side”…

There are bouncy banjos, warm acoustic guitars deep in the background, and some backup singers who make this song sound like it could have been recorded during the Great Depression.  (You know, if they don’t pay any attention to the lyrics)  This is one of the few songs on the bonus disc that I feel wouldn’t have fit on Gold that well, but I’m definitely glad they included it.  It’s a fun listen and a really good song to drive to, as I discovered recently.

Touch, Feel & Lose February 2, 2009

A few weeks ago, some HD channel was showing the “Music In High Places” featuring Ryan Adams.  I hadn’t seen it before, but it was something I was always interested in ordering from the store on the old website.  I’ll be honest, I actually had no clue what it was until I DVR-ed it and got a chance to sit down and enjoy a really interesting series of performances and cultural experiences.  Anyway, the special was right around Gold, as that’s what the majority of the material was from; and the real standout track, for me, was “Touch, Feel & Lose” with a bunch of Jamaican kids.

I’m not sure if I like the performance because of the choir of little Jamaicans or if it’s just the really cool acoustic arrangement, but it gave me a whole new appreciation for the song.  It had always blended in with the rest of the songs on the album for me, but I feel like that particular live recording captured the essence of the song.  Really, I find it hard to go back to the version found on Gold, so I guess it’s a good thing I have the audio from “Music In High Places”  on my computer, isn’t it?

Cool song with a really great performance officially released…

YouTube: (the amazing clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dw8TmlMAyA

Enemy Fire December 31, 2008

“Enemy Fire” is another one of those songs about a dysfunctional relationship. (A recurring theme in the music of Ryan Adams)  While many of these songs are slow and relfective, “Enemy Fire” is aggressive and gritty.  The conflict between them is likened to a war, with enemy tanks and planes. (Also, ”enemy-colored roses” for that special lady in your life)  He keeps making it clear to hear that it’s over, but then decides to give her a second chance.  The narrator is making his ultimatum, saying “Learn how to change/And maybe I could stay.”  Still, if it’s reached this point, the odds are slim that she’ll change.  That’s why the final line of the song is “Um… No…”

“Enemy Fire” has some killer classic rock-style guitar riffs and cymbal crashes, making it a nice throwback to the 1970s.  With it’s dramatic music and potential to be a major highlight during a show, it’s really disappointing to know it’s only been played live seven times.  I feel like this song should be seeing a lot of action with the Cardinals, so maybe it’ll appear in a setlist soon.  There’s a lot of potential for jams in there, I hope the band sees it.

It’s aggressive, it could be amazing live, and should definitely be revisited soon.

Gonna Make You Love Me December 13, 2008

One of the great things about being a Ryan Adams fan is the sonic difference between his songs.  I’ll use today’s song as an example…  If you listen to Gold, you can find ballads like “When The Stars Go Blue” and “La Cienega Just Smiled” only tracks away from a rocker like “Gonna Make You Love Me.”  It’s hard.  It’s short.  It’s pleasantly dumb.  It’s a great song…

“Gonna Make You Love Me” is a modern-day rockabilly song.  If you tweaked the lyrics, it’s definitely something you could hear a young Elvis Presley or Jerry Lee Lewis singing.  I think that’s a big part of the song’s charm.  Really, it has the potential to come across as a little corny, like some throwback act (Stray Cats, etc.), but it’s garage-y enough to work (really well). 

The lyrics are about how everything makes the narrator love a girl more.  These aren’t even romantic things, either.  Riot in the streets?  Cops with guns?  They don’t exactly scream love…