Returning refreshed after a three-year hiatus -- 2010’s III/IV dating back to 2006 sessions -- Ryan Adams dives headfirst into early-‘70s Dylan with Ashes & Fire, his first record since disbanding the Cardinals.
Adams developed an easy, graceful chemistry with the Cardinals, a connection as apparent on loping homages to the Grateful Dead as it was on approximations of honky tonk, a connection absent yet still felt on Ashes & Fire, which retains a similar relaxed gait as the Cardinals at their softest.
Unlike all his albums with the Cardinals, this isn’t a record where the musicianship is placed at the forefront, this is a singer/songwriter record, the music -- including exquisite coloring from Heartbreaker keyboardist Benmont Tench -- serving as a warm bed for Adams’ rambling words.
Tempos are never quick -- at best, “Chains of Love” skips along amiably -- and the melodies remain fuzzily in focus, so Ashes & Fire winds up as ever-shifting mood music, sustaining an appealingly lazy haze residing somewhere south of melancholy.
Adams may have his sad moments, he may look outside his window and see signs of doom, but he’s not torturing himself, he’s finding comfort in being blue because most of the time, he’s relaxed within his skin.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dirty RainRyan Adams | Ryan Adams | Play | 05:17 | 12 MB | 0 MB |
| 2 | Ashes & FireRyan Adams | Ryan Adams | Play | 03:42 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 3 | Come HomeRyan Adams | Ryan Adams | Play | 04:50 | 11 MB | 0 MB |
| 4 | RocksRyan Adams | Ryan Adams | Play | 02:58 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 5 | Do I WaitRyan Adams | Ryan Adams | Play | 03:53 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 6 | Chains of LoveRyan Adams | Ryan Adams | Play | 02:26 | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| 7 | Invisible RiversideRyan Adams | Ryan Adams | Play | 04:44 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 8 | Save MeRyan Adams | Ryan Adams | Play | 04:18 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 9 | KindnessRyan Adams | Ryan Adams | Play | 04:30 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 10 | I Love You But I Don't Know What to SayRyan Adams | Ryan Adams | Play | 04:10 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 40 mins | 93 MB | |||||
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryan Adams | Artwork, Composer, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Photography, Primary Artist |
| 2 | David Black | Photography |
| 3 | Neal Casal | Guitar (Acoustic), Vocal Harmony |
| 4 | Daphne Chen | Violin |
| 5 | Lauren Chipman | Viola |
| 6 | Daniel Clarke | Hammond B3 |
| 7 | Sam Dixon | Bass |
| 8 | Richard Dodd | Cello |
| 9 | Eric Gorfain | Violin |
| 10 | Glyn Johns | Engineer, Mixing, Producer |
| 11 | Norah Jones | Piano, Vocal Harmony |
| 12 | Greg Leisz | Pedal Steel |
| 13 | Bob Ludwig | Mastering |
| 14 | Mandy Moore | Vocal Harmony |
| 15 | The Section Quartet | Strings |
| 16 | Gus Seyffert | Bass, Guitar (Electric) |
| 17 | Jeremy Stacey | Drums |
| 18 | Chris Stills | Vocal Harmony |
| 19 | Benmont Tench | Hammond B3, Piano, Piano (Electric) |
| 20 | Andy West | Artwork |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |