Once in a while a CD is released that everyone has been talking about for weeks in advance. Such a CD is Gold by the American singer / songwriter Ryan Adams. He was born in Jacksonville, North Carolina in 1974. With his first band Whiskeytown he played a modern form of country rock, where it was clearly audible that Gram Parsons was his role model. The band recorded four albums since 1996, but due
… to disappointing sales figures, the last album Pneumonia (1999) was discontinued. Only after Adams' beautiful solo debut Heartbreaker was released in 2000, Pneumonia was released in early 2001, although the band no longer existed at that time. Ryan Adams is a talented songwriter, with a very fast production speed. For example, Gold contains no fewer than sixteen strong tracks. It is a very varied album that combines various styles such as blues, rock, country and even gospel. Adams himself says that in addition to Gram Parsons, he also often listens to Bob Dylan, Neil Young, The Smiths and Joy Division these days. This may explain that the songs on Gold sound a bit heavier and more exuberant than on Heartbreaker. The recurring theme is the love lost and Adams sings about it in a way that will not leave you indifferent. Highlights include New York New York, Rescue Blues, Touch Feel & Lose and the more than nine minutes long Nobody Girl. In the band we meet names like Benmont Tench (keys), Chris Stills (guitar, bass) and Ethan Johns (guitar and drums). In addition, Adam Duritz (Counting Crows) provides the backing vocals on four songs. All in all, Gold is a wonderful album for the lover of craft pop. And given all the attention in the media, it wouldn't surprise us if this record turned out to be one of the biggest surprises of 2001. (MvP)more
