Ryan Adams: Heartbreaker

To kick things off here at Tone Marrow Reviews, I’ll be reviewing some of my favorite records before moving on to releases of 2008.

When the music really gets kicked off on Ryan Adams’ Heartbreaker by the rockabilly song “To Be Young,” it appears that for Adams’ first solo album, he is picking up right where his band Whiskeytown left off with bluegrass-tinged alt-country. Yet it becomes clear fairly quickly that, deep down, this is really a singer-songwriter album. Most of the songs feel delightfully stripped down. Adams carefully sings over the plucking and strumming of his acoustic guitar with occasional strings, pianos, banjos, and harmonicas appearing in the background. There is a very memorable Emmy Lou Harris appearance in there too. All of these ingredients come together to form a collection of folksy-country songs.

Adams walks a fine line on this album by making the songs feel loose and unencumbered and yet careful and controlled. A few of them are so subtle that it may take a few listens to really appreciate their simple beauty. Several of them have the ability to transport the listener to the rural environs of yesteryear. It is songs like “Oh My Sweet Carolina”, “Bartering Lines”, and “In My Time of Need” that reveal the heart of Heartbreaker. This album is, among other things, a love letter to the South, particularly North Carolina, from whence Adams hails. He is able to capture some nuances of southern life through music and word in a way that few other songwriters probably could. Yet, more than anything this is an album about heartbreak and longing for home. It considers the pain of leaving behind people and places and being left behind by lovers and friends.

Some of Adams’ lyrics can be bewildering, but that is not to say that they don’t effectively communicate ideas and emotions. Among other things, Adams tells us that he loves “a woman that rains” and he desperately desires someone to be his “winding wheel.” Although, it may be hard to identify what a winding wheel is, in the context of this song and this album, Adam’s plea makes perfect sense. For the most part, Adams abandons his rebellious bad-boy persona on this record and reveals a mature side that he hasn’t displayed as clearly in his earlier work. His growth as a composer and lyricist is certainly evident.

There is only one blemish on Heartbreaker. Near the end, Adams includes a song that sticks out like a sore thumb. “Shake Down on 9th Street” is, in fact, a pretty great rock & roll song but it feels out of place here. On an album this subdued, a somewhat violent, rough and tumble rock song sort of disrupts the spell Adams has been carefully casting in the other songs. Although, “To Be Young” is also an upbeat, country-rock number, it has the advantage of being the first song and so avoids breaking the mood of the rest of the record.

In the eight years since the release of this album, Adams’ has created quite a bit of music, some good, some bad, but nothing quite like Heartbreaker. It’s obvious that Adams felt great going into the studio to make his own record. He chose the perfect moment to head out on his own, having had time to further develop his craft during the Whiskeytown days. The music here feels fresh, free, and fun. It’s a feeling Adams has not been able to perfectly duplicate on the seven albums since. Adams has created albums that have experimented with several varieties of rock & roll, full-blown country-rock, and songs that flat-out imitate his favorite musicians; but what he seems to be best at is the sound presented on Heartbreaker. When listening to these songs, one can only hope for the simplicity and beauty found here to appear in Adams’ future work. Heartbreaker is an album essential for fans of Ryan Adams as well as anyone looking for some tunes to carry your mind and emotions back home.

Ryan Adams
Heartbreaker
Lost Highway, 2000
Rating: 4.5/5.0