I screwed up. I hopped back on the Ryan Adams bandwagon a coupla weeks ago and read some of the early reviews of Cardinology. And I got my hopes up - too up, in fact. I was hoping for the career album that has eluded Adams (at least since Heartbreaker), but Cardinology isn't quite it. Rather, it's a worthy addition to his work with the Cardinals, containing some substantial highlights and fleshed out with some appealing-but-not-quite-great tunes.
If there is a surprising aspect of Cardinology, it is the subtle shift in sound toward Adams' Rock N Roll and Love Is Hell albums. Anthemic songs like "Fix It" and "Cobwebs" are among the slickest, catchiest things in the entire Adams catalog, though they don't entirely abandon the country-rock template established by the Cardinals. But other than that subtle shift, there aren't abundant surprises on Cardinology. For all of his substantial talents, Adams exhibits no signs whatsoever of being an edgy or surprising artist (other than his occasionally erratic behavior). This is perfectly pleasant stuff, easy on the ears without degenerating into pure saccharine. Absolutely nothing wrong with that, but let's at least call it what it is (and wonder why the indie-snoots at Pitchfork continue to be mildly obsessed with Adams - note their dig at Paste magazine, which seems to agree with them on Cardinology).
Having heard some of these tracks live (and seeing Adams on Letterman Wednesday night), it seems to me there's an increasing disparity between the Cardinals' live show and their recorded output. Songs that catch fire in concert tend to simmer on the ablum. This is the case with many great live acts - and the Cardinals are among the finest touring today - but there's no doubt that Adams takes the album format seriously. It's also obvious that he's acquired a razor-sharp focus on quality studio work, but it may be that seriousness that keeps Cardinology from truly taking flight. Adams and the Cardinals have a knack for churning out lovely records, but no one outside of Adams' fanbase is going to mistake them for masterpieces.
Still, Cardinology is a worthy addition to the Cardinals' discography, easily the most consistenly enjoyable phase of Adams' capricious and prolific career. It certainly makes the case that Adams is probably capable of unearthing a masterpiece in the future, and the Cardinals are most certainly the bandmates to help him dig it out.
