Review: “Cardinology,” Ryan Adams and the Cardinals

I first heard Ryan Adams when I stumbled upon his excellent 2004 disc, Love Is Hell. The songs were deep with emotion, great melodies, and his cover of Oasis’ “Wonderwall” blew the original away. He continues his brilliance on his latest disc titled Cardinology.

Adams mixes alt-country with a bit of pop on the 12 tracks. “Magick” rocks in the same vein as the Rolling Stones, “Born Into the Light” has a Costello “Almost Blue” feel to it, “Crossed Out Name” sounds like a Love Is Hell outtake, and he takes us down the country dirt road on the excellent “Sink Ships.” “Evergreen” is one of those nice, easy two-step tunes you might hear on a Saturday night at your favorite honky tonk.

Adams is a great young songwriter with a very bright future and if you’re a fan of alt-country genre, Cardinology is a must. Besides, who couldn’t love a guy who names his band the “Cardinals?”

MP3: Crossed Out Name

MP3: Evergreen

Ryan Adams MySpace page