Wednesdays — Ryan Adams. Ryan Adams’ Wednesdays is a completely…
Ryan Adams’ Wednesdays is a completely unexpected return to form, featuring some of his best songwriting since his solo debut.

The first song on this record took me by surprise. It sounds exactly, and I mean exactly, like Neil Young. If somebody had played it for me two weeks ago and told me it was a Harvest Moon outtake I’d have believed them. The song serves as a much-needed addressing of the personal issues and abuse allegations that have plagued Adams for the past two years, and although it’s kind of an awkward listen, it’s a fitting opening track to his first full-length since the New York Times article broke.

The rest of the album after that is a fantastic listen. It’s a return to the understated stripped-down and acoustic Ashes &Fire sound, and it features some of the best melancholy songwriting and melodies he’s ever done. “When You Cross Over” may be one of my all-time favorite Ryan Adams songs now; it’s good to hear him singing about Carolina over an acoustic guitar again. “Poison & Pain” sounds straight off of Heartbreaker and is one of the most well-written and touching songs I’ve heard him put out in years. The title track is similarly a beautiful acoustic song that’s just flat-out really well written, there's not really another way to put it. “The band played the safety dance as I cried in the taxi alone.” “Birmingham” is the loudest track on the album, and it’s triumphant. It starts out with a lone acoustic riff before the full band kicks in with Adams exclaiming lines like “I wish I was a painter” and “Remember me standing there holding out my hand in a broken-down hotel in Birmingham.”

Ryan Adams has his issues, but this is one of the strongest records he’s ever put out. Hopefully he continues this trend with the other albums he claims to be releasing this upcoming year.
['Connor Hettinger']
['Music', 'Album Review']