TRUE ARTISTS, Part 1-A: RYAN ADAMS, continued

Way back on March 6, my first nominee for TRUE ARTIST was Ryan Adams. I didn't do him justice in that post, simply uploading a video, but I realized this morning that the Trinity of Alt/Folk/Country/Rock/Pop Artists at the moment is Teddy Thompson, Josh Ritter and Ryan Adams, hence this continued post. At age 16, Ryan dropped out of school, formed Whiskeytown, recorded three records with the band, and then left to go solo, after five years. His creative output is mindblowing and it's excellent, too. I think he is the son Gram Parsons never had, musically that is, and every record is a new discovery. One of my favorites is "Jacksonville"--from the cover art to nearly every track it's perfect in its imperfection. He doesn't pretty it all up. His voice is loud, then softens to barely a whisper. Recently, he's been in the news for taking some time off and marrying Mandy Moore. From a news account of her recent performance at Joe's Pub, Ryan seems really happy, which is the way it should be. Here's a very, very brief survey of the musical artistry of Ryan Adams.

"Come Pick Me Up" (Letterman Show)


"Oh, My Sweet Carolina"


"Two" (Letterman Show)


"My Winding Wheel"


"Nuclear"


"Call Me On Your Way Back Home"


"La Cienga Just Smiled)


Porter Tubb