A Rose By Another Name

Ryan Adams' decision to release three albums this year led to much discussion in the music press and online (this site being no exception). Since Adams is many things to many people, the reaction to the discs � "Cold Roses," "Jacksonville City Nights" and "29" � has been mixed. Individually and collectively, they have been hailed as everything from the best work of his career to half-finished crap. Last week, I wrote about "29," which I found less than satisfying. Though I like the jammy, double-disc "Cold Roses" and the country stylings on "Jacksonville," I also felt both could have benefited from dropping a few songs (sorry, it's the editor in me). So I decided to take Adams' output this year, 41 songs not including bonus tracks, and see what I could come up with for a one-disc mix. Since my most common criticism of Adams is his need to save a few tracks for the box set, I wanted to keep it around an hour. Ideally, all three of the 2005 releases would be represented. Hopefully, there would be thematic and stylistic continuity. I like to think I came up with something pretty good. If you have all three of the discs or access to iTunes, you can whip up a copy of this mix and decide for yourself. So here it is, dear reader, a custom mix CD I'm calling "Rearranged Roses":

1. "A Kiss Before I Go" (JCN) � This is the opening track on "Jacksonville City Nights," and I chose it to kick off my mix because Adams counts off before the start (though he does that on a few of these tunes) and because it implies that we're about to go on a journey, and that's how a good mix should always feel.

2. "Let It Ride" (CR2) � It's important to start strong, but it's even more important to kick it up a notch with the second track on a mix. Since this is the best song Adams has released this year, it's a perfect choice for the second slot. The loping beat and pretty melody don't hurt. Thematically, "Let It Ride" is keeping us in motion.

3. "When Will You Come Back Home" (CR1) � The second track is always an early but important peak. After that, it's important to take it down a little. This one brings the tempo down and allows the listener to contemplate the trip this disc is taking us on. The title makes the goal pretty clear.

4. "Hard Way to Fall" (JCN) � Continuing the theme of lost love, this tear-in-your-beer track from "Jacksonville City Nights" is a nice follow-up to "When Will You Come Back Home." The plaintive steel guitar sounds as lonely as going home alone at closing time, and fuels the wandering spirit that will carry us through the next three tracks.

5. "Magnolia Mountain" (CR1); 6. "Peaceful Valley" (JCN); 7. "Easy Plateau" (CR2) � The search continues � high, low and in between. You could say it's a long, strange trip as the two "Cold Roses" cuts certainly delineate the '70s Grateful Dead vibe Adams and the Cardinals achieved on their first release this year. Not only is there a nice geographic symmetry there, but these three tracks continue the searching, yearning themes that have been outlined to this point.

8. "Cold Roses" (CR2) � After looking at the top of the mountain, the bottom of the valley and the flat expanse of the plateau, one might find transcendence. Or one might find that they still haven't found what they're looking for. For the sake of more music, let's just assume that things could be better in the love department. And the road stretches out before us.

9. "Carolina Rain" (29) � This was the only track I chose from "29," and I picked it in part because it's a pretty, waltz-time piano ballad. I placed it here because of the tempo, but found I liked the segue from the last few lines of the previous track ("Daylight comes and exposes/Saturday's bruises/and cold roses") to the opening line of this cut ("Rose lived on the south side of town").

10. "The Hardest Part" (JCN) � Even if you didn't hear this song, you'd have a good idea what brought about that hardest part. And you'd be right � it's about that quest to hold on to love or at least survive when it's gone.

11. "Beautiful Sorta" (CR1) � Enough of the sad-bastard stuff already. It's time to rock. Adams starts with a little brash tough-talk ("When I say L-U-V, you better believe me L-U-V. Gimme a beer") and then he pretty much backs it up.

12. "Dance All Night" (CR2); 13. "If I Am a Stranger" (CR2) � Sometimes I get the feeling that Adams gives us songs that are underdeveloped for the sake of maintaining his prolific output. And then he delivers two tracks like these, fully realized and showing mastery of melody. Ear candy doesn't get much better than this.

14. "Sweet Illusions" (CR1) � Another pretty song that sounds like the healing could begin any time, if we can just fool ourselves into it.

15. "The End" (JCN) � Need I explain? In "A Kiss Before I Go," our hero was planting a wet one on the old watering hole before hitting the road. On this track, a thematic cousin to Gram Parsons' "Hickory Wind," the narrator is wrestling with the idea of home both the way it's remembered and the way it really is. We've either reached the end of the road or come full circle. Either way, it's been one hell of a trip.

There you have it, music fans. Fifteen tracks. Sixty-one minutes and change. Four cuts from the first disc of "Cold Roses." Five songs from the second disc. Five from "Jacksonville City Nights," and one (but a pretty one) from "29." Those of you who bought all three of Adams' discs this year might want to assemble this mix and check it out. Those of you in the iCult can whip it together even quicker. You also can assemble it on the cheap if you didn't buy all of the CDs by shopping a la carte on iTunes.

I hesitated before writing this post because it can be unfair enough to write critically about someone who does something that I couldn't do or at least couldn't do well. Ultimately I decided that the artist serves an important function by making a statement, but as consumers we should feel free to enjoy our legally purchased music on our own terms.

None of this is to say that Ryan Adams is less than immensely talented, or that I'm more qualified than he or his producers to sequence his albums. In fact, Adams should be complimented for keeping the spirit of the album as an art form alive. In this digital age, that's no easy trick. I liked "Cold Roses," and I liked "Jacksonville City Nights" more. So far, "29" hasn't been my cup of tea, but it might grow on me yet. In the meantime, "Rearranged Roses" will remind me that overall Adams had a pretty good year.