Yet another full album stream of Ryan Adams "Ashes and Fire"
Sure, we've been listening to it on NPR for a week. But now I can stream the new RYAN ADAMS record without leaving thephoenix.com -- a win for me, at least; feel free to play along if you want.
My guess is that everyone who hasn't been thoroughly alienated by Adams' long, oversharing string of hit-and-miss albums, EPs, web-only metal albums, and youtube-cover bullshit is by now following him directly on Facebook. (Non-Ryan-Adams-fans: want to hate him even more? Right now he's on a jag of posting obscure black metal bootlegs.) So by definition, anyone writing about Ryan's new shit is essentially pissing in the wind. That hasn't stopped the usual suspects from touting Ashes and Fire as another Heartbreaker -- and I don't blame anyone for saying it, since that's about the only thing that could get me to listen to another Ryan Adams album at this point.
Spoiler alert: Ashes and Fire ain't that -- and I'm still mad at everyone who said it was. Grrrr.
Eh, but not that mad. A&F was worth coming back for: or at least it's the closest thing in a long time to the Ryan Adams records that found me when I needed them. The second half of the album is better than the first, the non-gems are in the neghborhood of good, and if this record is a good enough excuse to get him play solo setlists like this for a year, I'll be happy to jump on the bumper of the bandwagon for a while longer. You?
Ashes and Fire by ryanadams
TOUR DATES:
10/10 Los Angeles, CA - Masonic Temple
10/11 San Diego, CA - Balboa Theater
10/13 Big Sur, CA - Henry Miller Library
10/14 San Francisco, CA - Herbst Theater
10/15 Napa, CA - Uptown Theater
10/17 Santa Cruz, CA - The Rio
10/18 Sacramento, CA - Crest Theatre
10/20 Eugene, OR - The Shedd
10/21 Seattle, WA - Benaroya
12/2 Philadelphia, PA - Academy of Music
12/4 Baltimore, MD - Lyric Opera House
12/6 New York, NY - Carnegie Hall
12/8 Boston, MA - Orpheum Theatre
12/10 Toronto, ON - Winter Garden Theatre
12/11 Chicago, IL - Cadillac Palace
12/13 Minneapolis, MN - State Theatre