Ryan Adams – '29' (Lost Highway) Released 19/12/05

In the wake of the borderline career ender Jacksonville City Lights, Adams releases the abomination that is ‘29’ - the third and final release of his 2005 trilogy and by far his worst record to date. The album will see fans and critics alike in complete distress at the fact that he may have lost his touch and now quite possibly the patience of his followers.

When ‘Cold Roses’ was released at the start of 2005, it was met with widespread acclaim, sure it was very mainstream and possibly a little generic but it had decent tunes. ‘Jacksonville City Lights’ was ridiculously self-indulgent and stunk of drunken nights in a studio, yet even that somehow managed to showcase some beautiful moments. ‘29’ is boring, flat and a pathetic attempt at reliving the old days of Heartbreaker. Its lifeless tunes carry no emotional beauty or weight that Adams has usually been able to generate with a ballad. His cooperation with Ethan Johns and main weapons being in the form of a lonely guitar or solitary piano would sound encouraging to any fan, yet somehow it all goes wrong.

Kicking off with a rolling blues riff that has attitude and promise, title track ‘29’ is a dirty fucked up rock n roll throw back that sees Adams resting on his laurels and resorting to drawing out the same chord for all that its worth, and thus taking that split second of promise and throwing it to the wind.  ‘Strawberry Wine’ is an eight minute torture that sees Adams voice in less than perfect form and an unconvincing devotion to the song that magnifies the monotony that the listener is going through. This tedious attitude is affluent throughout 29 as ‘Nightbirds’, ‘Carolina Rain’, ‘Starlite Diner’ and ‘Voices’ are all unmoving and for lack of a better word boring. Possibly the only highlights (if you can call them that) come in the form of ‘Elizabeth, You Were Born To Play That Part’ and the almost plagiaristic ‘Blue Sky Blues that is far too similar to ‘Hollywood Blvd’. from Gold, yet even these can’t save this pathetic release.

It would seem that Ryan Adams has chosen to believe the hype about himself and in thinking he can do no wrong by his fans released an album full of tunes that aren’t even good enough to be classed as b-sides. If 29 is supposed to be a ballad charged tearjerker, it has failed, instead it is a droning and dull piece of work that will disappoint his fans.