In recent years, the announcement of a new Ryan Adams record has elicited rolled eyes from those who have been following his work since the early 2000s and before. Maybe it is just the high volume of material that he has released that makes a new record anticlimactic. (Depending on whether or not you count his 2002 album of demos, Demolition, Cardinology would count as Adams ninth or tenth studio album since 2000 [this is not counting the multiple unreleased full-length albums that have been circulating underground over the last few years].) Or perhaps it is the quality of this work that has started to wear on fans–the past nine years have found Adams to be, shall we say, inconsistent. Not only has he completely changed genres for each album–going from the alt-country brilliance of Heartbreaker to the slick, country-rock/pop of 2001’s Gold, as well as the rockin’ angry protest to his record label, Rock N Roll and the gratifying British pop/rock-inspired, Love Is Hell–most of them have featured some spectacular tunes alongside some forgettable ones. This was particularly true in 2005, when he released three albums: the double LP Cold Roses and then the full-fledged country album Jacksonville City Nights (both featuring the Cardinals) followed by the interesting, yet weak 29. Each album featured songs ranging from wonderful to just plain bad. One wonders what the result would have been had he collected only the best of these for release. In light of all this history, many will be delighted to hear that Cardinology may be that consistent record that we always knew that Adams was capable of making.
The last time we heard from Adams was last year’s Easy Tiger–and it sort of felt like Adams was phoning it in, like he was just making a “Ryan Adams record.” It contained an unremarkable strain of country-rock, but the worst part of it was that it noticeably lacked the passion of Adams’ early work (maybe three albums in a year can do that to you). However, Cardinology doesn’t feel that way at all and, ironically, as a result, it does sound more like a Ryan Adams record. Adams has reunited with the Cardinals to record his first full-length with them since Jacksonville City Nights. Here Adams is combining all of the genres he has experimented with in the past into a record of songs that sound like they genuinely belong together. The pianos from Love Is Hell, the slide guitars from Jacksonville City Nights, and even a dash of the the jagged guitar work from Rock N Roll show up here. Most noticeably, the passion is back, Adams seems to be enjoying playing these songs, enjoying playing with the Cardinals again, and enjoying his still fairly new life of sobriety.
Not only does Adams take the strengths of his previous work and seamlessly weave them together into a refreshing fabric, it seems that the now sober Adams has either begun to write better songs or to at least have the wisdom to discern which songs are worthy of being recorded. There really isn’t a track that causes your finger to tickle the skip button in the whole bunch. Things start off strong with “Born Into A Light” which explores issues of faith while showcasing Adams’ country influences before the classic rock inspired “Go Easy” hearkens back to Adams’ Gold days. “Fix It” with its funky guitar riffs and memorable melody is a good segue into the snaggy guitars on “Magick” and the compelling chorus of “Cobwebs”–both of which are fun, satisfying songs that could have fit in well on Rock N Roll with the other patent homages to U2–only these are better.
While the first half of the album features electric guitars unleashed, much of the second half finds Adams drawing the listener in close with the intimate strumming of acoustic guitars and tender piano chords. One of the best songs on the record, “Crossed Out Name”, begins with steady acoustic guitars but slowly builds with an affecting piano and celestial synthesizers to a poignant conclusion which sounds like classic Ryan Adams. Though stylistically, the dense layers of “Sink Ships” and the free-flowing singer/songwriter style of “Evergreen” are rather different, they fit together well here with Adams’ emotive, meaningful vocal performances on each. At the end of “Sink Ships” when Adams sings “The war is over/the war is over/the war is over”, he sounds like a man who is weary from battling his personal demons but ultimately confident of victory. The whole thing comes to a stirring close with the confessional “Stop”–perhaps the best ballad ever to come from Adams’ pen, in which he deals candidly with substance abuse and addiction. Adams’ voice sounds fragile and at times heart-wrenching, and his lyrics are quite moving. He sings “I know a sickness so ancient and cross/No crucifix can ever fix enough/I know a past where the future is lost/I know a line that must be walked/There is a darkness and there is a light…If you want it to stop–Stop” while strings build quietly to create a tragic, yet hopeful finale. If it hasn’t been obvious before this point, it should be clear now that Adams cares about these songs and there is real passion and real emotion stirring in these songs.
Though at first glance, the title of this record may seem bizarre or gimmicky, it does suit the record well (but I’m still not sure what to make of the cover art). Cardinology is apparently the study of what the Cardinals do best, namely, making enjoyable alternative country-rock music. Perhaps the title is also a way of Adams thanking/apologizing to the Cardinals for having to endure his antics and infamous erratic behavior at shows in the last few years. Regardless of the title’s meaning, the music within is certainly a return to form for Ryan Adams. Adams and the Cardinals are in top form here, creating an album that, though isn’t earth shattering, is consistent, memorable, and enjoyable and certainly the best Ryan Adams record since Love Is Hell. Many fans (old and new) can now begin to look forward to the future work from the sober Adams and his Cardinals–and knowing Ryan Adams, we won’t have to wait long, which, after hearing this record, is a good thing.
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals
Cardinology
Lost Highway, 2008
Rating: 4.0/5.0
