This record just came out and even though I have heard it several times, I don't yet own it. I'm waiting for Gate City Noise to get more copies in. I don't buy CDs off my own site and I try to support locally-owned record stores when I can. Of course if you want to buy it here, that's great, but if you have a local small-biz record shop, go there.

OK. So I don't have it yet, but I have listened to most of it a couple of times. So far it sounds like classic Ryan Adams, combining all the great traces from Heartbreaker, Gold, and his Whiskytown stuff. I'm also hearing a little Gram Parsons and Neil Young in there. I'll write up more after I have had a chance to fully digest it.

If I was still on the radio you would have heard me playing a lot of Ryan Adams over the past few years. This guy is a wonderful and extremely versatile songwriter. Ryan Adams is one of those artists who has the talent to go the distance. Let's hope he does.

-- May 6, 2005 (DD)

PS - I bought the CD two days after I wrote this essay.