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8.5
69280
8.5 |
The 405
This is a record created entirely on his own terms, and in doing so he has also produced one of the finest records of his remarkable career
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8.3
69199
8.3 |
Consequence Of Sound
An honest record disguised as a lie, a personal release that can be mistaken for a retreat, an essential album passed off as the alternate take for the one he really wanted to make
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8.0
69322
8.0 |
NME
Repeated listens unmask 'Ryan Adams' as a great record, and a sleek departure from 2011's 'Ashes & Fire', which saw Adams rekindle the gut-wrenching sadness of his debut 'Heartbreaker'
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8.0
69341
8.0 |
All Music
His blend of song and studio craft turns this eponymous album into the equivalent of a substantive, new millennial version of the Eagles' Long Run
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8.0
69471
8.0 |
The Quietus
It is the melodies, rhythms, structures and pacing of these 12 songs that are most prominent
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8.0
69683
8.0 |
Beardfood
It stikes a nerve of the trembling 80’s, combined with the alt of alt-country and big Tom Petty-like chords
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8.0
68999
8.0 |
Q
Now comes the best thing he’s put together since 2001s Gold. Print edition only
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8.0
69000
8.0 |
Mojo
Adams hasn’t been this consistently affecting since 2000’s Heartbreaker, maybe he has finally found himself. Print edition only
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8.0
69078
8.0 |
The Arts Desk
I’ve always liked the sad songs best and there are plenty here to choose from
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8.0
69138
8.0 |
PopMatters
If it doesn’t haunt like the hallowed highs of 29 or Love Is Hell this still excellent record finds Adams’ mojo and mercury on the rise again
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8.0
69149
8.0 |
The Skinny
Older and wiser perhaps, but with an undimmed sense of fun, Adams still runs circles 'round most pretenders to the country-rock throne
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8.0
69163
8.0 |
Exclaim
As with all of his records, it's better to view Ryan Adams in the context of his career, rather than on its own, which makes this a very strong contender in a surprisingly dense field
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8.0
69173
8.0 |
musicOMH
Adams’ great skill is in delivering this seemingly depressing material with just the right amount of passion and poise – the sort that makes you want to keep returning to the record
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7.8
69191
7.8 |
Paste Magazine
He deploys a distinctive guitar tone on his rock ’n’ roll songs, dialing in a carefully calibrated mix of treble, grit and reverb that he has honed over the past dozen or so years
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7.5
69229
7.5 |
Under The Radar
'Ryan Adams' is the veteran songwriter's first self-produced LP. The music is all the better for it
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7.0
70196
7.0 |
Earbuddy
This album doesn’t revisit any of Adams’ former musical stomping grounds, and instead seems to go out of its way to incorporate new influences and styles into his music
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7.0
70577
7.0 |
Clash
A dark and perilous experience, one just hopes there’s light at the end of Adams’ tunnel
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7.0
69184
7.0 |
Rolling Stone
Adams rewires heartland rock, with major-chord, Reagan-era guitars, muscle-shirt drums and a thousand-yard stare
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7.0
69160
7.0 |
Sputnik Music (staff)
Adams can still knock out an effortless home run when he wants to, as he does on the brutally disarming acoustic “My Wrecking Ball” and the rousing “I Just Might”
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7.0
68996
7.0 |
The Line Of Best Fit
Where past ventures could tend to exude a mannered self-consciousness, Adams acquits himself here with an easy and infectious sincerity
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7.0
68997
7.0 |
The Music
‘70s and often ‘80s-tinged west coast rock, bristling with an emotive moodiness
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7.0
68998
7.0 |
Uncut
Adams remains probably the most plausible heir to Springsteen and Petty- who are the two most obvious influences here
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7.0
69068
7.0 |
Drowned In Sound
He’s followed an uneven path to get here, sure, but that’s precisely why he sounds so capable in turning his hand to unabashed arena rock
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6.0
69002
6.0 |
DIY
Whilst there are no real lows on the album, the highs are equally not of the sky-scraping variety
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6.0
69063
6.0 |
The Observer
Some stonking radio-rock that dials up album-oriented Tom Petty and Springsteen jams alongside the Smiths songs that Oasis adored
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6.0
69080
6.0 |
The FT
A chunky, rugged and un-Smiths-like style that the singer dispatches in solid form
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6.0
69283
6.0 |
Evening Standard
The overall conclusion is that, as he approaches 40, Adams has become reliable
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6.0
69318
6.0 |
Pitchfork
'Ryan Adams' may shed the confessional impulse in Adams' songwriting, but “My Wrecking Ball” plays like a deeply personal expression of creative paralysis and renewal
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5.8
69146
5.8 |
A.V. Club
He’s a pop songwriter who pens pretty, if not challenging, tunes, produces solid cut after solid cut, and has a way with simple instrumentation
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4.0
69074
4.0 |
Slant Magazine
He may have matured in the last 14 years, but there's no indication that's been good for his music, which on Ryan Adams feels lazier and more watered down than ever before
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4.0
69783
4.0 |
State
Ryan Adams the album lacks the defining impression of Ryan Adams the singer, and results in leaving you unimpressed.
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