Ryan Adams: 29

I think the title of this CD is a reference to the ranking this set deserves amongst the albums Ryan Adams has put out over the past year. Or am I underestimating the total?

Okay, jokes about the man's prolicifity are getting old. How about a few about how similar his name is to a certain 80's pop sensation from Canada? Nah, I'd rather not have a pissed off alt.country musician tracking me down and wiping out me and my family. Sounds like it would make a cool movie, though.

If Ryan Adams has been attempting, over the past few years, to see just how prolific he would have to be in order to completely run out of fresh, original ideas, he's reached his goal with the release of this CD. Every song in this set sounds like an inferior re-write of something from one of his earlier albums. There's a few that sound like they should have been on Rock 'n' Roll, some that should have been on Cold Roses or Jacksonville City Nights, and a few that sound like they belong on Love Is Hell.

Maybe this guy should slow down, take a break, and recharge his batteries. Meanwhile, everyone should avoid this album, and, instead, buy Rock 'n' Roll, Cold Roses, Jacksonville City Nights, and Love Is Hell.