RYAN ADAMS : CHRIS

RYAN ADAMS : CHRIS

Take It Back
Still A Cage
Flicker In The Fade
Chris
About TIme
Aching For More
Say What You Said
So Helpless
Crooked Shake
Dive
Was I Wrong
Lookout
Schizophrenic Babylon
Moving Target
I Got Lost
Replaced
Spinning Wheel
Letting The Light In

Label : Pax Americana

Release Date : March 25, 2022

Length : 55:23

Review (Rock NYC) : "I don't care if artists are assholes." I was listening to an episode of the Bret Easton Ellis podcast this morning and he and his guest were discussing Warren Zevon, the Los Angeles songwriter who died of mesothelioma in 2003. Zevon was a brilliant artist who also was a real jerk in life, especially after a few glasses of vodka. However, it was the '70s and Zevon's legacy lives on. How things have changed. changed a lot. Fallen rocker Ryan Adams has finally dropped "Chris," the final installment of the trilogy which started with "Wednesdays" (released in 2020) and continued with "Big Colors" (released in 2021). "Chris" will be available on streaming platforms in a week, but fans can already download mp3s via Adams's Paxam shop. A few people were complaining about the price ($25) but since it's a 19-track album, you have to recognize that $1.3 per song (or less than $1 per minute) is a bargain. How much do we generally spend on a cup of coffee or on a beer at a show? In any case, people should not whine: one week is not a long time to wait for streaming an album that was initially supposed to be released in 2019 with the two other ones. For Adams, things fell apart in 2019, but he is doing everything he can to recover his career, releasing albums and booking shows, despite the current hostile climate Despite some style variation from song to song, "Chris" is a rocker, but it's also a long album that offers a lot to digest at the first take. With 18 songs plus a bonus, Ryan Adams had definitively a lot of songs in store. The overall sound of the album is also quite different from the melancholic "Wednesdays," the saddest of all three, and the '80s-inspired "Big Colors." Some people have said that "Chris" is the closest that Adams has been from his earlier work, but this is also the most confident he has been for a long time. With its life-affirming chorus, the opener "Take it Back" has a big rocking allure and almost sounds like a Springsteen song - or insert the name of any big rock star of the '90s. The Springsteen vibe sort of continues throughout the album with the more pensive "Still a Cage," or the rhythmic guitars of "Moving Target" - which has one of the best melodic hooks of the album - or even the optimism of "Letting the Light In." At these moments, Adams definitively sounds undefeated. Layered guitars supply some strong rocking muscles to "Flicker in the Fade," and "So Helpless" succeeds in the same manner, combining remarkable shortness with efficiency. The album seems to alternate between full rockers and more melancholic tunes like the self-titled "Chris," with a nervous guitar rattling behind raw vocals while strings and piano lines slowly flesh out the song. Surprisingly, the song doesn't seem to be about his brother as the album cover art would have let us think first. Since Adams sings about a "friend" and laments about his death -"Wonder where you went/Will I ever see you again" - this has led people to think that the song is probably about the Cardinal's bass player, Chris Feinstein, who passed away in 2009. However, the fact that he and Adams's brother share the same first name transforms the track into a moving double tribute. There's certainly quite of sonic diversity among the 19 songs: beautifully layered guitar and piano keys shine during the melancholic "Crooked Shake" while emotive strings swell the arrangements of "Was I Wrong." Ryan Adams' vocals are at their most fragile during the delicate acoustic guitar of "I Got Lost," whereas '80s reverb sound is fully alive during "About Time." "Say What You Said" has the Ryan Adams heartbreak stamp all over its reverb guitars, and a harmonica is added in the mix of the upbeat "Lookout." The explosive guitars of "Spinning Wheel" add an alt-country flavor, but the bonus track, "Don't Follow," sadly gives me some Bon Jovi vibes. However, this is one occasion for Adams to let himself go with rage and rock abandon in a blast of rock guitars. If several tracks supposedly date from the "Prisoner" sessions, or sound "like "Prisoner" B-sides" (as some die-hard fans have said), the album is a mix of different vibes going back and forth between an acoustic feel serving Adams's heartbreak tunes and his 2017 arena-ambition signature rockers. "Prisoner" had a theme, it was a breakup album, but "Chris" doesn't seem to have one, it could well be his last gift to his late brother, but it sounds more like a more or less eclectic collection of songs, including some that could have been on "Big Colors," and other ones that could be regarded as leftovers from previous sessions. In other words, Ryan Adams is not reinventing himself with this new album, but there's no doubt he will get strong reactions from his loyal fans for the big hair rockers, the '80s power ballads, or the trademark heartaches. After just one or two listens, it's clear that "Chris" is not the work of a defeated man, some songs even resonate as triumphant, blasting a loud "I'm back" in the ears of anyone who is willing to listen. After these past rough years, this is reassuring to see that Ryan Adams's craft is still strong. However, because of his official cancellation by all media, "Chris" will not make an impact deeper than the circles of what's left of his fan base. The question is: would the album have made a significant impression in other circumstances?

Review (Jay Sizemore) : Ryan Adams continues to defy the expectations of the "cancel culture" crowd, who thought he would just disappear after his reputation was all but destroyed. Accused of basically failing to uphold his end of a tit-for-tat bargain in which he was supposed to help the careers of women musicians, wherein Mandy Moore and Phoebe Bridgers whine that their albums were not produced by the then superstar Adams, the music industry decided to ditch one of the most talented songwriters of this generation. But Ryan Adams refuses to be forgotten. When the scandal hit, Ryan had just announced that he planned to release three albums in one year, a feat that he had done once before, during the height of his prolific era with The Cardinals. Those three albums, Cold Roses, Jacksonville City Nights, and 29 (under just his name), remain to fans as some of his most stunning work. For me, Cold Roses is my favorite album of all time, and my memories of seeing him perform live during that tour remain some of the most euphoric musical experiences of my life. So, you can imagine that him trying to replicate this feat was exciting news to his fans. But, these plans were indefinitely postponed, as he was dropped by his label, lost his Fender guitar sponsorship, and seemed to be assumed guilty of the worst of accusations, where there was very little but accusation of what amounted to some bad behavior and imperfection. Despite all this, Adams went ahead with the release of Wednesdays in 2020, and then Big Colors in 2021, releasing them on his own. He held onto the third album of his planned trilogy, hoping a label would swoop in and help him distribute it. Slowly, with the success of Wednesdays (one of his best albums) and then Big Colors, he seemed to climb back into good standing. He continued to rebuild his reputation, spending time doing live shows on Instagram, and communicating directly with his fans. There was talk that he was in negotiations with a label, but it is unknown if that went anywhere. Now, Ryan Adams is set to perform some live shows for the first time since the smear campaign derailed his momentum, with a sold out show at Carnegie Hall, and another at Beacon Theater, and one more show in Boston's Boch Center, all in May. Maybe trying to capitalize on this re-emergence to the stage, Ryan surprised fans by spontaneously announcing the release of that long-awaited conclusion to his trilogy of albums, called simply "Chris." Fans have been clamoring for this record. Ryan has hyped it as his most personal, dealing with the death of his brother Chris in 2017, and thus the title dedication. He also reportedly scrapped an entire recording of this record once before, when he claimed that he wasn't happy with how it sounded, that it just didn't sound "real enough." Well, it has surely gone through some changes since then, like the other two albums. The release of this was announced in emails to fans, and on his Instagram. Available for a week exclusively on his website for a $25 fee, and then it will drop on streaming services. This model is an ambitious attempt to reclaim some exclusivity and income from a music distribution system that has irreparably hurt the music industry. One can't help but root for his success. As for the album, does it live up to the hype? Are you kidding? It's incredible. 18 songs. 18 songs that really encapsulate everything fans have always loved about this artist, and about the power of the art of song. At his heart, Ryan Adams has always been a masterclass songsmith, and on this collection of tracks, he truly lets his light shine. This is rock n roll with its heart worn proudly on its sleeve. Unabashed vulnerability, rawness, and a keen reverence for melody. The songs themselves vary from driving, guitar-oriented classic rock, reminiscent of Springsteen mashed up with The Smiths, to the more mellow and sad, sparsely produced and intimate, with just acoustic guitar and piano, and the creaking ambience of the studio setting. This is Ryan Adams at his most Ryan Adams, and it is a lovely thing to behold. Having said that, it isn't necessarily breaking new ground. And that's okay. The style of this record feels like another iteration of the sound Adams tried to hone in one of his most critically praised outings, Prisoner. In a way, it's the conclusion to another trilogy really, one that started with Prisoner, and continued with Prisoner B-sides. It does seem like this sound has now been taken as far as Adams can take it, as this collection feels as finely honed and crafted as it's gonna get. As such, this one is definitely the best of his Prisoner trilogy. Where Prisoner, and the B-sides, felt like a kind of melancholic manifestation of musically drowning in regret, Chris seems like a kind of therapy, a reaching for light, in spite of the inherent darkness, the loss, and the helplessness that can be felt in its wake. The lyrical hooks on this album are memorable, and get automatically stuck in your head. I find myself singing these songs to myself hours and days after I've listened, which I think speaks to the power of the music. And this album is powerful. The title track, "Chris," is one that really rips through the heart. It's so achingly pensive, and introspective, about the nature of friendship, and missing someone once they're gone. One of my best friends is also named Chris, as I'm sure is the case for many people in the world, as Chris is a common name. This makes the song very relatable, and endearing. When Ryan says, "somewhere there's a party singing happy birthday to you every night, happy birthday Chris," it just speaks to me in magical ways that are hard to describe. And I have a feeling this song will only resonate more with me as time passes. Between that song, "Still a Cage," "Moving Target," "Take it Back," "Crooked Shake," "Schizophrenic Babylon," and others, this is an album that is truly swinging for the fences craft-wise. Every song is great. Every song is memorable. Every song has something to say. With lyrics like: "If the eyes are the window to the soul, mine's just a room with some shadows on the wall, gonna miss this place, but it's still a cage," how could you not fall in love? Thematically, the record is harder to pin down. Was this album meant to be a tribute to his brother? Or more to the styles of music his brother loved? There's not a real through-line of theme in the lyrics, though a section of lyrics is shared between two of the songs, "So Helpless" and "I Got Lost," that does help connect some of the dots. As for production value, this album has a very rough-around-the-edges vibe, which also works for it in unassuming ways. It feels like Adams did most of the work here on his own. He clearly produced it himself, scrapping other versions for this one. Maybe that's why many of these tracks feel more like demo versions of songs rather than fully produced and fleshed-out. Either way, they still work, and the album still shines, in spite of the lo-fi aesthetic. In many ways, Adams choosing to go for the more demo-level production only endears this record more to the heart for fans. Much of the appeal of being a Ryan Adams fan, especially back in the day, was the sheer amount of work one could find of his on the internet if one went looking. Some of his greatest albums that are still held up on the pedestal of his legacy by his fanbase are albums that were never officially released, such as 48 Hours, or The Suicide Handbook, albums that were leaked online somehow and made available despite record companies not wanting to release them. There's a virtual smorgasbord of Adams material that the majority of the world just doesn't know about, and that's why his fans love him so much. For those people, his work still feels like a relatively undiscovered secret, an artist that only the truly devoted have come to know. Therefore, the demo-like production quality of this album feels right at home in the larger catalog of his work. Loving Ryan Adams music has never been about the sparkling production value, it's always primarily been about the power of his words, of his melody, and the nature of the song. If you truly love music, you can't help but love Ryan Adams, an artist who above all else has proven to have music in his soul. And though his "jukebox heart" may not always play, when it does it is almost certain to make the neon in your own chest come buzzing thrillingly to life. So, yes, Ryan, your fans are still out here rooting for your return. And when you play, wherever you are, we're still singing along.