Ryan Adams

The troubadour of folk rock

Troubled, brooding, sprightly, poetic. Ryan Adams is the troubadour of folk rock. He inspires crazy adoration by his refusal to conform to expectations. From the brilliant, heartfelt emotion of 'Gold' and 'Heartbreaker', to the inexplicably maudlin 'Rock and Roll Part 2', he is a musician that can only be relied on to pour his all into whatever takes his fancy. In Bristol I saw him at his petulant solo best - refusing to play songs the audience asked for, starting then not finishing others that his heart wasn't in, but then silencing all doubters with magical renditions. In Cardiff he rocked with The Cardinals, filling the hall with licks and flicks and carefully crafted songs. And that sweet voice...Not to everyone's taste. Guaranteed to let you down too often. But when he's good, no one can touch him.

googly, - 17 March 2009