Sweet Illusions February 28, 2009

This was a song that I really liked on my first listen because of the guitar intro.  It reminded me of those old Glen Campbell songs that had the solos with the tremolo effect.  While the “Wichita Lineman”/”Galveston” vibe may not have exactly been the intended sound Ryan and the Cards were going for on this song, it’s just a little something I always got out of it.  Luckily, once you get past the intro, there’s a really great song there.  Lyrically, it might be one of the best on Cold Roses (or any of his albums with The Cardinals). 

There are so many lines that just say more than a whole song could (in most cases):

Let me go, I’m only letting you down

I ain’t got nothing but love for you now

You never knew me, but I did my best

These are some incredibly heavy lyrics set to music that is really pleasant and cheerful sounding.  There are really nice jangly guitars and make a nice atmosphere around everything else, and great lines like the ones I just mentioned are icing on the cake.

Magnolia Mountain February 25, 2009

I got into Ryan Adams in 2006, and started going after his back catalog like it was nobody’s business.  I was nuts about “Gold” and “Demolition”, found pleasure in listening to “Rock n Roll”, and connected with “Love Is Hell” more than I should have.  When I finally hit “Cold Roses”, I didn’t know what to think.  I could tell by the artwork that this album was just going to be…  you know… different… 

So when I put in that first disc and heard this start up, I really didn’t know what to think.  After the first listen, I could get into “Beautiful Sorta” and a few other obvious ones, but it wasn’t until a few more spins that I realized how great of a song “Magnolia Mountain” is.  What I like about the album is the fact that it’s set in its own little world.  There’s Magnolia Mountain, the Easy Plateau, Cherry Lane, Meadowlake Street…  I’m not sure if all of the geographical titles were intentional or not, but I’m a big fan of them. 

What I really like about this song is the way they manged to really capture the soft/loud dynamics without sounding like Nirvana or something.  Really, this is probably the most live-sounding recording the band has.  Sure, they tried to achieve it on Cardinology, but there’s a certain freedom I hear on “Magnolia Mountain” that hasn’t been matched by any other studio recording I’ve ever heard.

Go Easy February 24, 2009

Before the album came out, I had read several reviews that mentioned a U2-esque quality found in some of the recordings.  I expected it from “Cobwebs”, but was very pleasantly surprised by how well the studio version of “Go Easy” turned out.  The lyrics aren’t anything special, really, but that doesn’t take away from the emotion found in the song.  The second part of the chorus is what carries the song: “If only I could say this to myself: I will always love you/I will always love you/So go easy on yourself.”  It’s something we all have to tell ourselves time and time again…

Another line that always stood out to me comes in the first verse.  It’s when he sings “Funny how I still hear that voice/Sometimes it’s like it’s so loud/I only hear a ringing sound.”  Yeah, it’s just a line, but it’s hard to hear it and not immediately think about the hearing issues that have been plaguing Ryan for the last year. 

While the song itself isn’t great (still good, though), it’s obviously very personal, and I appreciate being along for the ride in this case.

Blue Hotel February 20, 2009

You know, I’m more than just a little ashamed to say I’ve actually never heard Willie Nelson’s recording of this song. I imagine it sounds great, since Ryan wrote it for Willie, but I just never really got around to finding a recording anywhere.  I have to say, though, I really enjoy the sound.  It reminds me of “Let Us Down Easy” from Cardinology in more ways than one, and part of me thinks “Blue Hotel” definitely influenced, if not inspired, the latter.  The recording found on Follow The Nights is pretty good, but there are some absolutely stellar live versions out there.  I found one that I particularly enjoyed on YouTube and posted the link at the bottom of the post here.

It’s smooth and bluesy, but has that classic Cardinals twang.  Sure, it may have been written for another musician, but you can really tell that it’s a Ryan Adams song.  There’s something about the way he sets up each line in his verses that no one else can reproduce.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTkdMOT6-_U&feature=related

The Hardest Part February 16, 2009

When I first listened to Jacksonville City Nights, this was the song that grabbed me first.  Part of that was because I watched the September documentary before I listened to the album, and there’s a clip where Ryan is running through an early version in the studio.  It was kinda different from the recording on the album, but it was enough to get me hooked on the song.  I was a big fan of “What Sin Replaces Love” also, but was a little disappointed to find it wasn’t included on the album. 

This has one of my all-time favorite Ryan Adams & the Cardinals moments.  It’s that part near the end where he just wails right through the swelling bridge, singing: “I’ve been turned around/I’ve been mystified/By true love.”  I love how his voice kind of overpowers the microphone and distorts as  it peaks.  There’s so much emotion in there, and I’m really glad that even though the sound quality at that particular moment in the song isn’t exactly perfect, they kept it.  I read somewhere that he kept a lot of takes with mistakes if he felt they captured the intended emotions.  Well, in this case, it absolutely worked.

Cherry Lane February 12, 2009

When I listened to Cold Roses for the first time, I was really enjoying it.  I mean, how could you not like an album that starts off with a track as awesome as “Magnolia Mountain” and covers everything from rowdy garage rock to country/jam rock?  So, I’m truckin’ through the album, having myself a good time, and then “Cherry Lane” starts up.  The guitar intro sounds great…  Then comes one of the strangest sounds I’ve ever heard come out of a human being.  EVER.  It’s supposed to be “Every night”, but it comes out like someone stepping up some creaky steps. 

Once you get past the opening line, though, it’s a totally kick-ass song.  Really, it doesn’t fall into that “jam rock” category that well, and has a very original sound.  There’s a country influence, but not a whole lot of alternative edge.  Well, with the exception of the word “fuck” appearing.  That one doesn’t find its way into a whole lot of country songs…

My Love For You Is Real February 10, 2009

I really enjoyed Follow The Lights more than most people, I think.  The two truly new songs gave us a peek at a very different Ryan Adams and the Cardinals than we had seen on Easy Tiger.  While that album had a lot of pretty intense moments, this material presented a band who were writing songs that were much more relaxed and peaceful sounding.  I feel like these are the first songs that could be listed as “The Cardinals”, due to the fact that they play a much bigger role in it than previously.  Especially in “My Love For You Is Real”, where the backing vocals weave in and out, working well with the CSNY-esque music.

While “Follow The Lights” can be praised for carrying a great message and being charmingly simple, “My Love For You Is Real” is almost the opposite.  My favorite part is when the reverb-laden, distorted electric guitar chords get thrown in the middle of the mix near the end.  I don’t know that they’ve done this song live, but I feel like it carries the potential for some nice jamz… (with a z!)

Like Yesterday February 8, 2009

I’ve always really enjoyed “Like Yesterday” more than most people seem to.  I feel like it is the best reflection of who the Cardinals are on the album.  When they hit that instrumental break at 1:15, it sounds like something that could have come from a 1960s country rock record, before the harmony laden chorus falls into place.  Really, it seems like it should be one of their best live songs, since it’s so open-ended.  I expected Cardinology to feature a lot of the jams and space that you get when you see them in concert, but felt a little disappointed.  Sure, there are some cool instrumental breaks, but it’s different when they’re written in as a bridge. 

While “Like Yesterday” has the right sound, I feel like the band could have launched right into the stratosphere.  There’s just so much sonic ground to cover following the pre-chorus…  I’m not sure why they didn’t extend it, since it seems like they can’t help themselves from doing it during live performances of other songs.  Still, even without the potential for awesome jams, “Like Yesterday” is a favorite of mine from the album.

Crossed Out Name February 1, 2009

Last night, I went to Champaign to see Jeff Tweedy doing a solo show at Foellinger Auditorium, and decided to listen to Cardinology on the trip up there.  One of the passengers in the car (who I hadn’t met before earlier that evening) noticed the Ryan Adams/Cardinals posters in my room and said he was a fan, too.  What proceeded was one of the greatest nerd-offs ever: the debate over what the best song on Cardinology was. 

He agreed with me that “Magick” and “Crossed Out Name” were the two best, it was the order that we couldn’t reach a consensus on.  He said he felt like his voice was a lot stronger on “Magick” than on the rest of the songs, and that it was probably the best representation of The Cardinals playing off of each other.  I argued that, while “Magick” totally kicks ass, it doesn’t contain the emotional knock-out you get when you hear lines like “I wish I could tell you just how I’m hurt” and “When I close my eyes, I see a fire so plain/And my crossed out name…” 

Really, hearing him sing “MY crossed out name” seems to hit a lot harder than “a crossed out name.”  He doesn’t sing it much differently, but those two letters completely transform the lyric for the listener.  I don’t know about the rest of you, but I feel like that’s what makes this song go above and beyond the rest for me…

The Sun Also Sets January 31, 2009

I’d like to add something to the list of “Oh shit” moments. (See: “Shakedown On 9th Street”)  I would challenge anyone to find a musical moment that comes close to having the same amount of emotion as the second verse in “The Sun Also Sets”, when Ryan yells out “Oh be sure/You’re gonna tear someone apart.”  The rest of the songs snakes along at a comfortable pace with airy falsetto vocals and stop breaks, but that part gives the song a feeling of aggression, intensity, and bitterness that can’t be replicated. 

While I’m a big fan of the album version, I really dig the bluesier performances from the Cardinology tour.  Hearing Neal bang it out on that Rhodes creates a funkier vibe that I didn’t even realize was possible with the song in the first place!

I’ll go ahead and say it…  This is, without a doubt, my favorite song on Easy Tiger and quite possibly any Ryan Adams (and the Cardinals) release since Cold Roses.