After the partying, though, there is a time when you settle down and reflect, preferring to churn out tender odes to love, drunkenness, and reminiscing on the past. Adams' has chosen to go this path, leaving behind the chaos of the band and toning things down a bit, delving into softer country and folk dwellings rather than Uncle Tupelo and Replacements-stained rock.

Adams' debut solo album, Heartbreaker, is pensive, trading in the rock for depth you can feel and hear, rather than burying it underneath a loud guitar or drums. His timid, slightly lost voice trickles over the equally faint guitar, adding a bit additional instrumentation throughout, but never drowning the song in any one instrument, preferring to have his voice and words do the leading all the way.

"To Be Young (is to be sad, is to be high)," "AMY," and "Call Me On Your Way Back Home" are all stark, startling reflections into the life and mind of Adams, as he gives as much information of his life as he wants, fills in the blanks, and leaves enough room for you sit and wonder if he is speaking straight from experience or soaking up life outside of his and speaking to it.

However, the honesty and naked reality of the music is too pure for someone even as talented as Adams to fabricate, so you know that he either is putting himself inside the head of someone he knows quite well, or he is speaking straight from his own mishaps. Here is an album as raw as they come, but dressed up enough for a wider appeal. True to its roots and still accessible, Adams does country and folk legends right, while still carving his own niche in the respective genres. I'll give this an A+.

Ryan Adams: Gold

Ryan Adams: Rock 'n' Roll

[Issue Thirty-Six // February 2001]