You can often read about Ryan Adams in the press. You might see an article on his relationship with a starlet in US Weekly, or read some article by a music journalist about how much of a jerk he thinks he is. What you don’t see enough of in the press, however, are words about the actual music of Ryan Adams, which is a shame as he has released a stream of records since 2000’s Heartbreaker that range from good (Demolition) to classic Jacksonville City Nights), with the exception of 2003’s mediocre Rock N’ Roll. That tradition continues with the just released Cardinology, the third record to be released under the name Ryan Adams & The Cardinals.
Cardinology kicks off on a somewhat misleading note. The first couple tracks, “Born Into A Light” and “Go Easy,” are easily the weakest songs on the record. They’re not exactly horrible, just not very memorable. Things change with first single “Fix It.” Adams’ songwriting has always dwelled upon loneliness, love won, love lost and the regret that follows the dissolution of a relationship. On “Fix It,” over wistful country-rock instrumentation, Adams sings of a relationship gone wrong, saying “I’d fix it if I could.” It’s a heart-string-tugging type of song and not the only one on the album.
“Crossed Out Name” consists of not much other than Adams’ voice, some acoustic guitar and some words about a lover who has walked out. The minimal instrumentation serves to perfectly accompany lyrics about loneliness such as “where we used to live, I live alone.” On “Sinking Ships,” one of the more well-written songs of the year, Adams sings of a lover/co-worker who has moved away and the emptiness in both his heart and the office where she used to work. The lyrics are lifted by ringing guitars and the haunting pedal steel guitar playing of Jon Graboff, one of Cardinonlogy’s secret weapons.
Elsewhere on the record, Adams dives into more straight-ahead rock territory on the catchy, but poorly written, “Magick.” “Stop” finds Adams comforting a friend who has seemingly lost hope. The song’s low-key piano melody serves as a great close to the record.
Overall, Cardinology serves as another great addition to an already pretty strong discography. Old fans should enjoy the familiar country-rock stylings and strong songwriting and the record is accessible enough to turn newcomers on to Adams’ work. Regardless, Cardinology ultimately serves as the perfect soundtrack to the leaves falling from trees as the winter months set in.
