An eponymous album usually denotes an emergence of self, a naked truth. But, 14 years into his uninhibited solo career, how much more honest can Ryan Adams get?
Following the tortured ‘Ashes & Fire’ (review), his 2011 set borne from grief and displacement, comes this similarly chirpy collection, where a close, confined production underlines the artist’s obvious distress.
“At the bottom there’s no air,” he laments in ‘Am I Safe’, somewhat explaining the album’s density. The desperate sting of ‘Gimme Something Good’ (video, below) is palpable; ‘I Just Might’ channels Springsteen in its desolation; and ‘Trouble’ is a final deft kick at his demons.
A dark and perilous experience, one just hopes there’s light at the end of Adams’ tunnel.
7/10
Words: Simon Harper
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