JoshCast #30 - What Sin Replaces Love

I just watched a mini-documentary called "September" (see this YouTube clip) about the genesis of Ryan Adams & The Cardinals -- probably the most recent addition to my list of personal all-time-greats. (See especially: Cold Roses) Their genius is multi-layered: alt-country instrumentation, a quality I call "listenability", and a top-notch (if idiosyncratic) front man in Ryan Adams.

(Great example of the above, the single "Let It Ride".)


In particular, I'm endlessly enamored by his way with words. He's no stranger to heart-wrenching lyrics ("See her smilin' at him / That used to be me / And I could find her in a thunderstorm / Just be the way that the rain would fall"). But it's the following words from the aforementioned documentary that reveal the apparent ease with which his musical talents translate from his brain to your speakers:

"If you sit and [mess] around with a guitar for longer than 30 minutes, you might accidentally run into a couple of chords that sound like a song. As soon as I get on to something like that, I'm like 'Aw, shit,' and I have to take it where it's going. And then I feel really satisfied, like I did something today.

"Then I go out and I get drunk. It's great."

I wish it was that easy for me.

Anyway, Adams's edgier alter-ego shows up in the following unreleased track. Very 70s rocksy and bluesy (right up my alley), and a bit of a departure from his alt-country creations with The Cardinals. Peel back the cheesy MTV-style intro and the embellished theatrics, and you get some great stuff: