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Whiskeytown were one the mid-'90s wave of bands who approached American roots music--country, folk, singer/songwriter, and combinations thereof--from an alternative rock standpoint. They were apt to be as influenced by Nick Drake and Superchunk as by Johnny Cash and Neil Young. Ryan Adams performs vocal duties for Whiskeytown, and HEARTBREAKER is his first solo album.
It's primarily a singer/songwriter affair, with lots of acoustic guitars, gentle drums, subtle keyboards, and back-porch harmony vocals, but there's also a lot of variety and kick. "To Be Young" tears out of the gate like a rollicking out-take from Dylan's HIGHWAY 61 sessions, and the gentle, shimmering, baroque-tinged "Amy" recalls both the Left Banke, and the Beatles in their "Eleanor Rigby" mode. Many tunes--like "To Be the One"--have a bare-bones, dusty, story-telling quality that recalls Dylan, John Prine, Woody Guthrie, and Steve Earle (who Adams slightly resembles vocally) without ever sounding like Adams is aping them. As a bonus, Emmylou Harris and Gillian Welch supply heavenly harmonies.
Recording information: Pilot Studios, New York, NY; Waltmore St. Studios, Jacksonville, NC; Woodland Studios, Room A, Nashville, TN.
Photographer: David McClister.
Personnel: Ryan Adams (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, banjo, harmonica, piano); Ryan Adams; Gillian Welch (vocals, acoustic guitar, banjo, electric bass, bass guitar); Allison Pearce, Allison Pierce (vocals); Pat Sansone (piano, organ, chamberlin, background vocals); Ethan Johns (chamberlin, vibraphone, glockenspiel, drums); David Rawlings (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, banjo, tambourine); Emmylou Harris, Kim Richey (vocals).
Audio Mixer: Ethan Johns.
Rolling Stone (9/14/00, p.177) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...[His] sources run deep...he has the raspy, quavering voice and innate tunefulness to be worthy of [his sources]...which run from Paul Westerberg to Hank Williams....[He has] considerable talent and charm..." Entertainment Weekly (9/8/00, p.89) - "...A brash, alt-country balladeer with a rock instinct....cementing [his] rep as a latter-day Gram Parsons." - Rating: B+ Q (1/01, p.104) - 4 out of 5 stars - "...An album of aching ballads topped and tailed by some irresistible barroom remorse....Gram Parsons would have been proud." Uncut (p.92) - "[A] brilliant mix of romantic burn-out, reckless bravado, charred emotions, tender swagger and fractured beauty..." Alternative Press (5/01, p.104) - Included in AP's "10 Essential Breakup Albums" - "...The torment is all Adams' - we can be certain of that..." CMJ (1/08/01, p.9) - Included in CMJ's "Best of the Year" for 2000. CMJ (9/4/00, p.3) - "...A brand-new set of foot-stomping anthems and rum-soaked ballads....[He] is the newest icon of heartfelt country rock." Mojo (Publisher) (p.61) - Ranked #52 in Mojo's "100 Modern Classics" -- "Adams conjures a kitbag of Dylanesque blues, tear-in-your-beer country and aching Greenwich Village-style folk." Mojo (Publisher) (11/00, p.98) - "...Haunted and hurting, this is an album about love....though quiet and spare...it's impassioned, lyrically and melodically..." NME (Magazine) (12/30/00, p.79) - Ranked #45 in NME's "Top 50 Albums Of The Year". NME (Magazine) (11/25/00, p.34) - 8 stars out of 10 - "...Adams takes sighing acoustic guitars and melancholic country melodies and strips them bare until all that remains are the stinging truths of the heart, and his own ruminations....a fine successor to Jeff Buckley's throne as visionary rock troubador."
A touching masterpiece This is Ryan Adams' first solo album since departing from the alternative country band, whiskeytown. Adams heartbreaker is a collection of touching songs on heartbreak and sorrow. Adams' has a beutiful voice and the lyric will make you cry. you don't have to be heartbroken to enjoy heartbreaker. Submitted by suewing511 (Atlanta, GA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Ryan Adams' Masterpiece Though Ryan has had many incredible songs, and a couple more "very good" albums since the release of Heartbreaker, nothing quite measures up. It is his "Highway 61 Revisited" or "Exile On Main Street". An Incredible work of art. Submitted by Kent (S.L.C. Ut) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Stripped Down to the Bare Soul Ryan Adams, songwriter and primary member of the Alt. Country group Whiskeytown, has ventured off on a solo project. The theme seems to be exposing the raw emotions that at times threaten to overwhelm him, and you as the listener may feel like an intruder. The music is passionate, and his ability to paint word pictures to express that passion put him among the top songwriters/poets of the genre. At times Dylanesque, Adams' songs are more thoughtful and introspective than much of his previous work with Whiskeytown. Highlights include "To Be Young," perhaps the most upbeat of the songs, "Oh My Sweet Carolina, and the somber "Bartering Lines." A must-buy for Whiskeytown and Alt. Country fans. Submitted by a reviewer (Pompano Beach, FL) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Solo Hit From Whiskeytown Frontman I highly recommend Ryan Adam's solo debut HEARTBREAKER to anyone getting into alt. Country. From the rockabilly swagger of "To Be Young (is to be sad, is to be high)" to the heart ache of "Come Pick Me Up" the album is everything that country music should be about, but isn't anymore. Adams is a true talent, even holding his own against the likes of Emmylou Harris on "Oh My Sweet Carolina". His second solo release GOLD is a little more radio friendly, but this one has all the raw attitude you could ask for. A must for any true fan. Submitted by a reviewer (Montgomery, Al., USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 0 of 1 found this helpful.
New-Country rock star debut Mr. Elton John's favourite album of the decade (to whoever may be concerned...), Whiskeytown leader's first solo album is an impressive collection of country rock ballads about unrequired love. He's in the some league of Gram Parsons and Rolling Stones circa Exile on main street period. Brilliant, urgent and moody. Great record. Submitted by a reviewer (Naples, Italy) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 0 of 1 found this helpful.
A touching masterpiece
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