New Music from Ryan Adams and The Jayhawks

When I read that the Americana Music Association recently gave the Artist of the Year Award to Buddy Miller, I had mixed feelings. On the one hand, I love Buddy Miller’s work as well as his new CD, so I am always glad to see him get the recognition he deserves. On the other hand, I did not even know there were Americana Music Association Awards, and I wondered what is the status of Americana music — or alt-country — two decades after writers started using the terminology to describe a type of music. There is a lot that may be said, and Chimesfreedom may revisit the topic in the future. For now, one answer is provided in new releases by two giants of the field, Ryan Adams and The Jayhawks.

Jayhawks Mockingbird Time Mockingbird Time (2011) by The Jayhawks: The new CD by the Jayhawks created much excitement with the return of Mark Olson to the band for the first recording since the classic Tomorrow the Green Grass (1995). I was excited too, but in looking through my CD collection, I was surprised to learn that I had not missed a CD from the band’s catalog, and that I do love all of the albums, including the ones without Olson where Gary Louris continued to lead the band in interesting directions. I have been listening to the new CD for several weeks because it often takes many listens before I know how much I like a new album. The new CD does capture some of the magic of Tomorrow the Green Grass, although I have yet to fall in love with the new music as much as I did with some of the songs on the 1995 album. For me, the new album does not exceed the Olson-less Smile and Sound Of Lies, but I realize that many fans prefer this version of the band. Below is “Closer to Your Side,” one of the highlights of the new album:

Ashes & Fire by Ryan Adams: Like The Jayhawks CD, a new Ryan Adams CD has to compete with a back catalog of great albums and music. When I first heard Heartbreaker (2000) and Gold (2001), I immediately fell in love with the albums and could not stop hitting the replay button. I had a similar reaction to his work with Whiskeytown. Ashes & Fire, Adams’s latest effort, did not immediately grab me like those albums, but it is a solid effort with some great (“Lucky Now”) and almost-great (“Ashes & Fire”) songs.

Ryan Adams Ashes & Fire The opening lines of the first song on Ashes & Fire, “Dirty Rain” (““Last time I was here it was raining / It isn’t raining anymore”) even evoke the opening cadence of the superior classic “Oh My Sweet Carolina” from Heartbreaker. I have always been more of a fan of Adams’s country-ish and upbeat songs over his contemplative slow songs (or his digressions into other genres). This new album stays close to alt-country but delves into his slower folk side too. But it continues to grow on me like some of his other albums that started out okay for me but that I later came to love, like Jacksonville City Nights (2005). So I am reserving judgment and plan to enjoy the CD many more times.

Conclusion? Many of the great “alt-country” artists of the last few decades continue to record great work (even if one may classify the music in different categories). If you are a fan of Ryan Adams and/or The Jayhawks, you will like the return to form on their new CDs, which are both solid enjoyable efforts. If you are not familiar with their work, though, you might want to start with some of their other albums. But either way, these new CDs are a fine addition to already fantastic catalogs. For Ryan Adams, who was diagnosed with Ménière’s disease five years ago, the return is especially triumphant.

Bonus Reviews, Because Why Should You Trust Me?: For a detailed mixed review of Ryan Adams’s Ashes & Fire, check out Pitchfork. For a positive review, check out Popmatters. By contrast, Popmatters gave a mixed review to Mockingbird Time by The Jayhawks. Consequence of Sound argues that The Jayhawks almost get it right.

What do you think of the new music from Ryan Adams and The Jayhawks? Leave a comment.

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    Ryan Adams: Invisible Riverside

    Ryan Adams has released the first video for his upcoming album Ashes and Fire (Oct. 11) with the song, “Invisible Riverside.” On the CD he plays the song with a band, but in this video you can hear a raw version with just an acoustic guitar.

    The song is a plea to a lover not to leave:

    So don’t let go, don’t change your mind;
    If the stars fall into the oceanside,
    Someone pull the ribbons from my eyes,
    Free my soul,
    Let it roll away
    On an invisible riverside.

    A previous post featured “Lucky Now” from the upcoming album. I liked that song too, so I am looking forward to the new album.

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    New Ryan Adams Song: “Lucky Now”

    Ryan Adams Ashes & FireSome of my favorite recordings are by Ryan Adams. I like some of his CDs more than others, which may not be surprising considering how productive and diverse Adams is. I find some of his songs are fire, and others are ashes. But overall, he is one of the most talented artists now making music. And on October 11, he is releasing a new solo effort, Ashes & Fire. He just released one of the songs, “Lucky Now.”

    Reports indicate the CD will have a country-rock sound, featuring guests Norah Jones and Benmont Tench of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (piano). From the sound of “Lucky Now” (as well as some clips of live performances of other new songs), the CD looks promising. I can’t wait.

    What are your favorite Ryan Adams CDs or songs? Leave a comment.

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    Who is Ryan Adams?

    Ryan Adams HeartbreakerThis week on American Idol, Chimesfreedom was impressed that a contestant covered a Ryan Adams song, “Come Pick Me Up.” The contestant, Paul McDonald, however recognized that some of America may not know the artist so he clarified that it was “Ryan” Adams and not “Bryan” Adams, so they should not expect “Summer of ’69.” His clarification did not help one of the judges, as Jennifer Lopez mentioned she had never heard of Ryan Adams.

    McDonald has an interesting voice and style, and he has potential to do well on the show. He seems to have a decent taste in music, including his choice to cover Ryan Adams, and I hope that his choice to wear a Nudie Suit on one show indicates we may have a Gram Parsons cover in the future. But his cheery performance of “Come Pick Me Up” sort of sucked out the anger from the original version of the kiss-off song, even accepting that some of the words had to be edited out for the show (with “screw all my friends” becoming “use all my friends”). If you have never heard the excellent original version of “Come Pick Me Up” by Ryan Adams, check it out.

    Ryan Adams started out performing with the alt-country band Whiskeytown, which released three outstanding albums between 1995 and 2001. After leaving the band, he has had a successful career, beginning with one of my favorite albums, Heartbreaker, which features “Come Pick Me Up.” He has several excellent albums, and his music style ranges across a wide spectrum. His forthcoming album, the limited-edition EP Class Mythology, will be released April 16. Chimesfreedom likely will revisit some of his other songs in the future, but for now enjoy his version of “Come Pick Me Up.”

    If you are curious, here is this week’s American Idol version of “Come Pick Me Up.”

    McDonald’s version of a Ryan Adams song was not the first time someone on American Idol sang a Ryan Adams song. At that time, they credited the song, “When the Stars Go Blue,” to Tim McGraw, who had recorded a cover of that song.

    What did you think of the cover of the Ryan Adams song? Leave a comment.

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