Music of the 2000s: Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker (2000)

It's been a couple of weeks, so time to jump back into this music series ...

Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker (2000)

I take pride in trying to keep my CDs, Records and Tapes in as close to like-new condition as possible. So when something happens, like the little plastic hinge on a CD case breaks off, it annoys me. There's only one CD case that is in shambles - broken hinge, cracked plastic, pieces miss from breaking off - a mess. It also is one of my favorite CDs of the decade.

It was probably 1998 or 1999 when I first ran across Whiskeytown, so when Ryan Adams went solo in 2000, I was interested to see how he would fair as a solo artist. Rarely do the solo albums of artists whose group had success and acclaim match or exceed the level of success of their previous endeavor. Rarely doesn't mean never for a reason.

Beginning with a debate around Morrissey, Heartbreaker combines the all the wonderful talents and traits of Adams in what some believe is his best album - including those with Whiskeytown. With songs that range from stripped down and heart-wrenching to soulful but rocking, Adams laid the ground work for a prolific decade of recording.

Recommended if you like:
Old 97's, Iron and Wine, Sun Kil Moon