Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

First, to get something off my chest just because it's tarnishing my enjoyment of this CD: Most Ryan Adams reviews can be divided into two camps: those who deride him as an egomaniacal poseur and those who herald him as a genius. We toss about "our generation's Dylan" for any twenty-something singer/songwriter (e.g. Conor Oberst), until they gain too much success; then we label them a sell out and complain that they mimic all the great bands we once compared them to. It's become as trendy to hate Ryan Adams as it is to like him. So, enough with ragging on him because he acts like a rock star and please, for the love of god, stop comparing him to Dylan. He's fantastic, but there will never be another Dylan and you only set yourself up for derision when you make that comparison. Critiques of his music often center on one of three points: 1) he's "copying" off of other (presumably better) musicians; 2) there are many other more "innovative" artists out there (followed by a list of said artists); and 3) his lyrics are trite/full of cliches. My response to those critics is: 1) since when did emulating the sound of other artists (particularly those that we like) become some sort of sin? I appreciate the fact that Ryan Adams' albums have a touch of the "Byrds and Tom Petty" (to quote another review for this album). According to these critics, music is supposed to be life-changing and, when it happens to influence another musician, they are supposed to forget the influence music has had on them. I don't get it. 2) "Innovation" is highly overrated (e.g. the Fiery Furnaces). I didn't anticipate the release of Cold Roses wondering what magic Adams was going to create using only a Fisher Price xylophone and a hubcap. And seriously, how much innovation can we really have? We're reaching a critical moment wherein everything's been said and every note has been matched up with every other note and the only way to be "innovative" will be to be nonsensical and out of tune (e.g. the Fiery Furnaces). (That being said, I do like Rilo Kiley and the Decemberists, although I would argue that there's a distinction to be made between "original" and "innovative", or at least in the way they are bandied about by music critics.) 3) I don't look to lyrics for some sort of life-affirmation or lesson. It's nice if it happens, but it's not something I demand of a CD. Occasionally, something happens in my life and I happen to listen to a particular song and the song clicks with me. Sometimes it just makes good driving music. If every song was filled with huge, heavy lyrics, all I would do is sit in my car and cry. As appealing as that sounds, I have things to do and places to go. And I will be listening to Cold Roses as I go about my merry way. Sorry for the rant, but now on to the review: After Rock N Roll (which I hated), I was concerned that he'd fallen over his own ego. Whether or not he's the monster people make him out to be, the new album is great. The Cardinals are a fantastic band, as spectacular on the album as they are live. I would agree with the reviewer who said the album's a mix of Pneumonia and Heartbreaker. If you liked either of those albums, you'll probably like this one. I haven't listened to it enough to say it's my favorite, but it is full of great tunes. If I was forced to put three songs on repeat for the rest of the day, I'd pick "When Will You Come Back Home", "Easy Plateau" and "Dance All Night." I've omitted "Let It Ride" only because I've already listened to it 1,000 times in the last few weeks. Listen to it. If you like it, buy it. If not, buy something else. There's hardly any excuse these days to accidentally buy something that you think sucks.