Mixology

Well, the day is finally upon us. We got ourselves a new Ryan Adams record to add to the library. An occasion like this will even get me out of the woodwork (Yes, been MIA for awhile. Bear with me!). It should be noted that today's release marks a milestone for the singer-songwriter -- Cardinology is his tenth studio release in his eight years as a solo (well, kinda solo) artist. And these are counting just his "official" releases. His unreleased albums tend to be the favorites amongst the diehards. So yes, point is, the man takes prolific to a whole new level. And while I've always maintained that, musically, quality should supersede quantity, I'll give Ryan free reign to do as he pleases. The bad news is that if you are as huge a Ryan Adams fan as I am, you've noticed that this new record hasn't exactly been well-received in the fan forum community. It's been prematurely lambasted on everything from it's title, album artwork (which does suck), and "what the hell was he thinking" tracklisting. The good news is that all of this bad mojo is pure poppycock. What we simply have here is Adams in rare form. Let me explain.

Like Bob Dylan, it's apparent that Ryan is never comfortable in one place for an extended period of time. His sound/inspirations tend to change as fast as the playlists on his iPod. While previous albums have maintained consistent trends (Heartbreaker was pure alt-country, Rock N Roll was strictly garage rock, 29 was mostly piano ballads), this one is all over the place stylistically -- hence the title. Cardinology seems to sum up the different styles that Ryan has embraced since Heartbreaker. The way I see it, this is kind of a greatest hits record that consists of completely new material (if that makes sense). Ryan even goes so far as dabbling in previously uncharted territory here -- the first single "Fix It" marks Adams' first foray into the R&B realm (hard to believe, but listen to the intro). "Magick," which has had it's fair share of criticism as of late, reprises Ryan's 2003 infatuation with abrasive 70's garage rock. Oddly enough, Rock and Roll is one of my favorite Ryan albums, so this is all gravy in my book. The painfully confessional "Cobwebs" and "Crossed Out Name" follow suit musically -- abandoning the pedal-steel guitar entirely we've all grown accustomed to as of late to favor a much more rock-influenced sound. "Natural Ghost" is Cardinology's most traditional-sounding Ryan Adams track; this one would fit beautifully on Cold Roses or Jacksonville City Nights. "Let Us Down Easy" is a sweet little ditty that proves Ryan has done his homework in Blues 101. The record wouldn't be complete without a piano-laden number. Fans of Love Is Hell will embrace the melancholy "Stop," which closes out the record, and is incidentally perfect seasonal music for late fall/early winter.

Although longtime fans might be initially turned off by Ryan's musical ADD on this one, I am predicting that Cardinology will receive some acclaim once the dust settles and it inevitably dies off the charts in a couple of weeks. Although there is admittedly no rhyme or reason to the album's sequencing, if you take the record track-by-track, you be hard pressed to find a bad tune. Taking this into account, this is the perfect chance to get on the bandwagon. If you haven't given Adams your attention for the past eight years, now's the chance to see what he's all about. Think of Cardinology as one of those sampler appetizer platters you get at TGI Fridays; you get all the killer and none of the filler. And as someone who loves to eat, this is never ever a bad thing.

My Rating: 8.0/10

P.S. See you Halloweenheads on Friday. If you don't know what this means, don't worry about it!