Ryan Adams & The Cardinals "III, IV" album review

When starting this review, I did what any would do and ask people if they've ever listened to Ryan Adams before. The response wasn't very good. Only one person I talked to didn't ask me if I meant "Brian" which was surprising to me. I've not been a huge fan of singer songwriters so I never really gave Ryan Adams the time of day. After listening to "III, IV" is makes me wonder if more of his stuff is similar because its not bad. What did I like about it, what stands out? Lets find out...

This might be the first straight rock album that I've ever reviewed. I really can't think of a sub genre to put this album in and that's a good thing. The songs are wildly entertaining and effective. Which is surprising considering that they're are a total of 21 songs on the album. 21 sounds like a lot but the average song length on the album is 3 minutes, so songs don't over stay their welcome. The songs stay fresh even after listening to 15 of the tracks every track has something to offer, which is truly an achievement. The Cardinals music is solid and beautiful and could really stand on its own. One of the more surprising elements I found of the album was that most of the excellent tracks came in the middle to end of the album. That generally isn't the case, with most bands putting their "better" material at the beginning of the album to keep listeners listening. That truly attests to the excellence of the music its self. Songs that really stood out for me where the songs "Stop Playing With My Heart" and "Star Wars" both songs are infectious with their melodies and will get stuck in your head if your not careful. The best of the bunch arguably though is the song "My Favorite Song" which I might enjoy just for the pun in it. I think the song as a whole sums up the entire experience of listening to "III, IV".

Not everything is amazing about the album. As good as I think it is, I think the weakest part of the album is Ryan Adams himself. Adams vocals seem lazy at times. It might just be personal preference which it comes to his vocal styling but on certain songs he sound bad. Its a minor complaint and it shouldn't take away from the overall experience. I just wonder if they found someone else to do the vocals if this album wouldn't have gone to classic status. Adams isn't all bad though, and he does sing well on some tracks.

Overall "III, IV" is an excellent album and reminds us that rock isn't dead. If your ever in the mood for a fun record with great songs then look no further. "III, IV" gets 4.5 Cardinals out of 5!
"Wasteland"

"Ultraviolet"

"Users"

Cardinals III/IV Tracklist:
01. Breakdown Into The Resolve
02. Dear Candy
03. Wasteland
04. Ultraviolet Light
05. Stop Playing With My Heart
06. Lovely And Blue
07. Happy Birthday
08. Kisses Start Wars
09. The Crystal Skull
10. Users
11. No
12. Numbers
13. Gracie
14. Icebreaker
15. Sewers at the Bottom of the Wishing Well
16. Typecast
17. Star Wars
18. My Favorite Song
19. P.S.
20. Death And Rats
21. Kill The Light