Release Date: 03 May, 2005
Audio CD
Tracks
- Magnolia Mountain
- Sweet Illusions
- Meadowlake Street
- When Will You Come Back Home?
- Beautiful Sorta
- Now That You're Gone
- Cherry Lane
- Mockingbirdsing
- How Do You Keep Love Alive
- Easy Plateau
- Let It Ride
- Rosebud
- Cold Roses
- If I Am A Stranger
- Dance All Night
- Blossom
- Life Is Beautiful
- Friends
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Rating 4.5
I'm a Convert!I was into Whiskeytown. Then lost track along the spew of RA solo releases. It was a lot to keep up with. And the sound kept darting in new directions. The critics didn't help. "Cold Roses" brings it all back home ... and into a whole new perspective. Adams is finally rightfully presenting himself as an ambitious, eclectic songwriter and song-stylist whose vision is unpredictable without caprice. Okay ... having said that: "Easy Plateau" and "Magnolia Mountain" are stuck in my head and I don't want to let 'em go. I will now gleefully re-explore RA's entire catalog with new ears. And I await every surprise this artist has yet to commit to posterity. 1st of 3 albums in 2005Ryan Adams is a turbo-pimp and my favorite singer/songwriter going. Cold Roses is another solid effort from the former Whiskeytown frontman. Standout tracks are the single "Let it Ride" and my favorite "Dance All NIght," among others. There is what I would consider some filler here however, and the album could probably have benefitted from a little editing, perhaps pairing it down to a single cd of 10-14 songs or so. But then, he's arguable the most prolific musician around and that's part of what makes him so appealing to his fans. Two more albums are scheduled from Mr. Adams later this year, which I for one, will be anxiously awaiting. If you're looking for Ryan's best album to date, that would be "Gold," in my humble opinion.conveying a level of sincerity and expressivenessHis albums have proven to be a source of much frustration around here. There'll be an absolutely fantastic song that I immediately fall in love with right alongside something unbelievably bland and generic. His latest release being a double cd had me wondering if he simply has difficulty editing himself. However, I was happy to find that this is perhaps his most consistent work in ages... and it's really not all that lengthy. The 18 songs could have fit on one cd, but Adams' choice to split it up harkens back to those '70s classic rock double albums from which he clearly draws much inspiration. The embossed gatefold sleeve and LP-looking disc art only add to this feel.
Music-wise, for the most part, Adams keeps to the sorrowful country rock road, and this mid-tempo pace suits him well. Cold Roses reveals a more mature Adams who's not out to prove anything nor hop aboard any bandwagons. Oozing with confidence, not cockiness, and conveying a level of sincerity and expressiveness previously unheard from him since his Whiskeytown days. In fact, it seems he may have finally (re)discovered his own voice on this album. Although his music is still very much in the same stylistic vein as a number of his seniors, his vocal delivery this time sounds the least like those other folks (Westerberg, Springsteen, Petty).
Perhaps all of this goodness is the result of his finding a new group of musicians for his backing band? It sure seems like they've clicked well, he actually co-wrote all of the songs with The Cardinals. Nothing like some new faces to recharge one's creative batteries, and even better when the end results are as good as this! |
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