Bryan Adams Room Service CD

Personnel: Bryan Adams (vocals, guitar, dobro, harmonica, piano, bass guitar); Phil Thornalley (guitar, keyboards); Yoad Nevo (guitar, percussion, programming); Keith Scott (guitar); Declan Masterson (whistle); Maurice Seezer (accordion, piano); Michael Kamen (oboe); Gary Breit (piano, organ); Norman Fisher (bass guitar); Mickey Curry (drums).
Arranger: Gavin Greenaway.
Bryan Adams released his ninth studio album, Room Service, in September 2004 in the U.K. and his native Canada, and it took seven additional months for the disc to receive American release. Room Service sounds as if Adams unearthed a collection of punchy, polished pop/rock tunes and power ballads that he cut 15 years previously and released it as his new album. Marginally better than 1996's 18 'Til I Die, where Adams seemed desperate to sound and (more accurately) look hip, Room Service isn't bad -- it never takes enough risks to be bad; it's merely pleasant and professional -- and surely Adams fans who have stuck with him this long will find it ingratiating. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Bryan Adams released his ninth studio album, Room Service, in September 2004 in the U.K. and his native Canada, but it took seven months for the disc to receive American release. Frankly, the delay didn't really matter -- not only did Adams' star lose its luster in the U.S. sometime after his 1993 hits collection, So Far So Good, but Room Service sounds like it could have been recorded in 1993. It's so far removed from any modern music, in either the adult contemporary or rock realms, that it sounds as if Adams unearthed a collection of punchy, polished pop/rock tunes and power ballads that he cut 15 years ago and released it as his new album. This is marginally better than 1996's 18 'Til I Die, where Adams seemed desperate to sound and (more accurately) look hip, but Room Service isn't as memorable as that effort because it offers up Bryan Adams by the numbers, so slick and safe that it evaporates after it finishes playing. It's not bad -- it never takes enough risks to be bad; it's merely pleasant and professional -- and surely Adams fans who have stuck with him this long will find it ingratiating, but it sure raises the question of why he even bothers to record new albums if he doesn't have anything new to say. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Though Bryan Adams racked up some of his biggest hits with a string of mammoth, soundtrack-related power ballads, it was his earlier heartland-rock hits that first endeared him to music fans. ROOM SERVICE (2005) goes a long way towards restoring the Canadian singer's reputation as a no-frills rocker, with a selection of expertly crafted and energetically performed compositions that rank among his best work. This is generally a straight-ahead guitar/bass/drums affair from top to bottom. "Right Back Where I Started From" is a tough, Stonesy, twang-fueled stomper reminiscent of Adams's CUTS LIKE A KNIFE era. "I Was Only Dreaming" breaks the mold a little by adding a rhythmic string accompaniment and some Hendrix-like psychedelic guitar, but retains the classic Adams sound. The most intriguing songs, however, are the last two, "Nowhere Fast," and "Why Do You Have to Be So Hard to Love;" both combine a moody roots-rock feel with a wistful lyricism, leaving listeners with a palpable sense of Adams's admirable return to form.