‘Demolition’ in the fall of 2002 found me reveling in the glory of his rich lyrics while ‘Rock n Roll’ in the fall of 2003 showed me Adams could still rock with the best even if I felt the lyric writing wasn’t up to par. However, one listen to “So Alive” and I felt just that, alive. It was as if you hit an open road, let the roof down and had nothing but an open road of optimism as the wind blows through your hair. Two EP’s were released in the fall of ’03 and then in ’04 as a full record, ‘Love Is Hell’ which proved to be a tour de force emotional triumph that proved to me, that when Adams wanted to, he could be a master storyteller and manipulator of emotions. His cover of “Wonderwall” is downright haunting and he didn’t even write it. In 2005, Adams enraged me with three separate album releases, ‘Cold Roses’, ‘Jacksonville City Nights’ and ‘29’. The first two had a profound Nashville country swamp influence while ‘29’ was a lingering exploration of mostly solo songs. None were masterpieces and all felt disjointed to me in some form and fashion. It was at this point I felt Adams was slipping into irrelevancy. There was too much music, so little of it was speaking to me and he would have been better suited carefully choosing a dozen of the best. It was at this time when I officially bid Mr. Adams adieu as I couldn’t relate to him in any form or fashion.
Over the course of 2005, 2006 and 2007, something I hadn’t anticipated occurred. I slowly began to discover the wonder of the three records released in 2005. I still felt that these were the three weakest of the ten he released this past decade (only ‘29’ came close to being chosen for my Top 100 of the decade), but individual songs began to jump out at me. “A Kiss Before I Go” pays homage to vintage Willie Nelson, the overwrought “Dear John” (with some assistance from Norah Jones) broke my heart, “How Do You Keep Love Alive” was as serious as a heart attack while “Dance All Night” reminded me that when one wants to dance their problems away, Adams was still capable of creating fist pumping anthems for us to lose ourselves in. “Nightbirds” showed a subtle and soft glimpse into a world of chaos full of broken dreams. While I never lost myself in any of these records, whenever a random song came on the iPod shuffle, I was transfixed. Like Bob Dylan in the 1980’s, I was learning that Ryan Adams wasn’t someone whom you could expect to follow the rules of the music industry. He creates in a world where there are no release dates and each album was a pronouncement of his state of mind during a specific chapter in his life. Excising songs, good or bad ones, would have been akin to erasing certain days and weeks from your mind. Your life may or may not be better for those lost memories or songs, but you wouldn’t be complete. What makes Ryan Adams…Ryan Adams is their insatiable drive to never surrender and to always create. With great music, it always boils down to the songs and Adams may be one of the finest of his generation. Even when albums left me dissatisfied, I always found a handful of songs that I felt would stand the test of time and would be performed by other artists months, years and decades from now.
Early in 2007, it was announced Adams would release his ninth record, ‘Easy Tiger’ and to promote it, he would perform a series of intimate gigs across the country. I threw my hat in the ring to cover the concert and I found myself in the Biograph Theater in Chicago. The Biograph Theater is rather legendary as it’s where John Dillinger was gunned down in the 1934 and has recently been refurbished into a gorgeous 300-seat theater providing an intimate experience no matter what the occasion. My only concern going into the show was whether there would be some sort of massacre on the concert stage. Would Ryan Adams rise to the occasion or wallow in his own excess. Adams and his band came out at 8:15 and strummed and swayed ever so gently for the next 95-minutes. The performance wasn't epic, it wasn't rocking...it wasn't even rolling...but one thing I can say (and I hope I don't sound too melodramatic) is that Ryan Adams was reborn. The 20-song performance was nothing short of astonishing. This was the first time I laid witness to the genius of Ryan Adams. I saw an artist in command of his music and stage presence. More importantly, my faith was renewed. Adams has a knack for channeling the emotions of mislaid souls who are seeking more from their life. At the Biograph, his performance was indomitable which allowed his songs to be properly presented and heard. “Everybody Knows” and “Halloween Head” showed the charismatic but reserved Adams really excise demons when the lyrics soared from his lungs. He even pulled out “Down in the Hole” an Alice in Chains cover that not so coincidentally was sung by someone who lost the battle of fighting with his demons, Layne Staley. As Ryan sang “Down In The Hole” his hands wavered in the air as if he was conducting an orchestra but I saw this as him taking control of his life and his career with a stirring and moving performance no one will soon forget. He exuded staggering confidence and artistry over the course of the show, proving he’s capable of greatness, also showcased on ‘Easy Tiger’. The production quality of ‘Tiger’ is transcendent, as is the EP released later in the year, ‘Follow The Lights’. On ‘Easy Tiger’, Adams culled thirteen tracks and somehow, elevated their stature with momentous performances and glowing sonic textures and is a staggering testament to what he can accomplish when he’s clear headed and focused. In late 2008, Adams released ‘Cardinology’ where he strived for the fences with a collection of songs ready-made for arena arms-to-the-air swaying. These aren’t the most audacious of his career (and it does lose some steam towards the end) but as a whole it’s a rather stellar and consistent affair. Instead of a distant third person narrative, Adams draws from within and gives us a record that feels like a return to his early career where we feel these stories gliding off his tongue with ease and excitement. Instead of knocking out everything that inspired him, it feels like he spent more time crafting these and it shows.
As I looked back upon this decade, I found Ryan Adams to have more songs that spoke to me than any other artist. More importantly, his collected body of work, for better or worse, will stand the test of time. His legend will only grow with time. The 144-songs he wrote, recorded and released during this past decade are a rich enough to defy age. In a day and age where other acts were more flamboyant or spent years crafting one or two records, I’ve come to admire Adams reckless abandonment for his art. He is a true artist who time will be kind to. I only hope the next decade holds as many treasures as this one.
Ultimately, Ryan Adams continues to invigorate me with a flowing, ingenious and alluring songs that remind me that redemption in rock n’ roll is not a myth but a reality. He disappeared into a murky existence from time to time but like a phoenix, he always rose from the ashes. A true artist follows their own muse and doesn’t let corporations dictate their output and as maddening as it may be, in the end, when the fame passes, and the old magazine covers are recycled, all future generations will be left with are the music and in the last decade, no one created more maddening, invigorating and enlightening music than Ryan Adams and for this reason alone is why I am crowning him, “The Artist of the Decade”.
Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network and his daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.
