29

This is a very subtle and understated album. I admired Ryan's work ethic when he decided to put out 3 albums (one a double!) in one year. It got me thinking to some of my favourite groups of the 60's and 70's who thought more about the music and the creative muse than they did about the bizness. I wasn't a big fan of Cold Roses at first but repeated listens got me hooked. That paved the way for this album which really seems to take Ryan's output to a whole new level. It's a joy listening to ALL of these tracks, but especially I love the immediacy of Strawberry Wine and the boogie of 29. In truth there isn't a dud track on this album and it's very reassuring to hear something you know you will return to again and again like an old friend.
I can but wonder where Adams will delve next but I sense that this marks the closing of a chapter and he will veer off into uncharted waters....long may he sail!

After the two uneven Cardinals' albums from earlier in 2005, Ryan Adams has returned to top form with quite possibly his best album yet, continuing in the same musical vein he mined on the vastly-underated "Love is Hell" EPs.
Adams has never lacked creativity or inspiration as shown by his prodigious output. But he has lacked an ability to curb some of his worst excesses musically and even his best albums such as Gold would have benefitted from someone advising on the editing.

This time the album with 9 songs, each supposedly relating to each year of his twenties (hence the title), comes in at just about 48 minutes and despite some personal reservations about the title opener, the rest are largely magnificent with no real filler, just great songs.

Adams has returned to producer Ethan Johns (who did Heartbreaker and Gold) who deserves a lot of credit with class production and sensitive musical accompaniments for the songs, which other than 29 and the latin-inflected The Sadness, are beautiful reflective, wistful affairs that see Adams on great lyrical and melodic form.

The highlights for me are the four songs that comprise the album's heart from Nightbirds through to Starlite Diner. No need to describe them in detail other to say they're pure class and rank amongst Adams' finest works. They deserve the sort of attention and listening that unfortunately many have given over to the likes of the anodyne James Blunt and his ilk. There is no comparison. Adams on this form is the classiest songwriter of his period. Buy it and savour.

This album was written and recorded before any of the other 2005 releases, at the time when Ryan was nearing his 30th birthday (hence '29', it's an album about growth) while he was recovering from his broken wrist. He's said that it's a concept album, basically about one guy who commits suicide and is looking back on the actions in his life. I'm not sure how well the album fits his theory, but there are plenty of tales within these songs.

It's an intimate album, best listened to with headphones in a quiet place. His voice is close and there's an ambience, a certain atmosphere to many of the songs as we hear these world-weary lyrics played out to music. The rock & roll '29' is a bit of a red herring in terms of sound, as we have the introspective 'Strawberry Wine' come after. It is succeeded by several more quiet, piano-led songs, telling wistful tales of love, heart-break and life. 'Blue Sky Blues' and 'Nightbirds' are songs to lovers, about carrying on, 'Elizabeth...' is apparently written for a friend of Ryan's whose baby daughter died before birth. The only other song that doesn't fit this trend is 'The Sadness', which is a bit of a bizarre inclusion; Ryan sounds more like Freddie Mercury than the heart-broken troubador we're used to hearing.

My personal favourites on the album are '29', 'Blue Sky Blues' and 'Carolina Rain'. All of these songs tell a story though, and it's worth listening just to hear the narratives as they play through.

The Ethan Johns/ Ryan Adams pairing once again produces an excellent album, with a suitable sheen for the material on here. I feel that the album needs to be listened to properly, to be taken in and appreciated. It's a grower, but the one track I can't seem to get into is 'Strawberry Wine'. It's not Ryan's best material to date, but it's still a good album. Give it time.