Despite the slew of material he has released since, Ryan Adams’ masterpiece will always be his first solo album, Heartbreaker. This isn’t standard alt-country singer/songwriter fare. It’s one of those rare records that arrests you. You feel these songs as you progress through the fifty-two minute running time. How does one compose a song as crushingly beautiful as “Come Pick Me Up”? What business does a young man, in his early twenties at the time, have writing with the wisdom and reflection found in “In My Time of Need”?
I neglected to mention this at the start, so let me make it perfectly clear right now… Happy music? This is not. This album is a fucking downer. Apart from the opening number, “To Be Young” and a much-needed “Shakedown…” for the twelfth track, there’s nothing here but sad. This isn’t a recording for the feel-good days of summer. You won’t be cranking up the volume in the car and singing along to these songs with your friends. But there are plenty of other artists (and later Adams material, too) that are good for all of that. Where Ryan Adams excels… what he is the absolute best at, is crafting music that is unmistakably honest and relatable. To an extent through each of these songs, you’ve been there. The core meaning behind songs like “Why Do They Leave?” and “Damn, Sam (I love a woman that rains)”? You’ve felt it. And you’re stunned at how he managed to put it all on tape so perfectly. So you’ll listen again. And again, and again, and again.
It might not be immediate. It might take a couple listens. But once Heartbreaker makes that connection, you’ll keep it right there among the rest of your favorite music. Through this decade, into the next and so on. This is a timeless piece of music. Get it right now.
