Ryan Adams & the Cardinals

In the aftermath of this week’s election, Ryan Adams and the Cardinals are running on the strength of “Cardinology.” While the album doesn’t propose solutions for the left or right, its appealing, coalition-building tracks should appeal to a broad base.

After over a year since his last major release with the Cardinals—“Easy Tiger”—Ryan Adams is back, still sober, and on the verge of publishing his first book, “Infinity Blues.” Adams finally offers his fans something different from his typical fare—a truly polished, commercial album. But don’t confuse “commercial” with selling out. By commercial I simply mean an album that’s well-mixed, well-edited, and heavily coated in spacious reverb. Adams has been a prolific songwriter since his days with Whiskeytown, releasing albums left and right, focusing more attention on the material than the finished product. This album may just be a turning point in his career.

From the first bar of “Born Into a Light,” it’s clear that this album is different. Simultaneously poppy, catchy, country, rocking, and somehow laid-back, the album is reminiscent of both everything Adams and nothing at the same time. Tracks like “Magick” and “Cobwebs” bring the listener back to the days of Adams’ “Demolition,” while others like “Natural Ghost” or “Sink Ships” harken back to Whiskeytown’s album “Stranger’s Almanac.” But there are still others that offer sounds entirely new to Adams’ catalog.

Take the bouncy pop-rock tracks “Fix It” and “Evergreen.” While these songs still have the folksy, raspy-voiced ballad feel that Adams effortlessly maintains, they tend to focus more on the hook and groove. “Evergreen” is a happy tune with snappy acoustic phrases and a mellow that aren’t a far cry from (I hate to say it) Jack Johnson. Another sound new to Adams is the soulful, gospel-tinged “Let Us Down Easy,” which offers a taste of early Stax, a hearty gospel chorus, and Adams’ signature twang.

Adams closes “Cardinology” with “Stop”—a strong and emotional piano ballad typical of his former work, but the only slow song on this album. Who knows? This may be Adams’ tip-off to the fans that his old ways are over and that, as the album’s title implies, he’s no longer focused on his solo career, but rather on the band.

As evidenced throughout the album, the Cardinals have chemistry, and while Adams is indisputably the band’s frontman, the harmonies and control of dynamics mastered by the Cardinals reveal Adams and the Cardinals as a cohesive unit.

“Cardinology” will become a defining moment for Ryan Adams fans. The diehards may be disappointed as Adams takes a step in a new direction; for them, it will be hard for Adams to ever surpass the greatness of some of his earliest works. Face it, you can’t beat “Stranger’s Almanac,” “Heartbreaker,” or even “Gold.” But like any great artist, Adams knows better than to try to fill his own shoes, opting to branch out in new directions instead. And “Cardinology” just might make believers out of newer fans.