Front cover of ‘1989’

by John Tindale

Ryan Adams has gained himself a cult-like following by releasing alt-country albums at an alarming rate; 1989 is his 15^th album in album in 16 years, and is possibly his most interesting release. The news of an entire Taylor Swift covers album went viral but critics were split on the validity of the artistic endeavour. Father John Misty even made his own cover of Ryan Adams’ ‘Shake It Off’ cover to satirise the meme-like attention-grabbing of this sort of behaviour, but Adams’ attempt does at least indicate the cross-cultural impact that 1989 has had. It’s the pop album that even the cool kids don’t mind admitting to liking.

The album begins with a rousing start as ‘Welcome To New York’ sees Adams’ echoed vocal build before a blend of guitars and keys takes over. This is immediately contrasted by the finger-picking guitars and minimalistic sound of ‘Blank Space’ – Adams at his best. The fast/slow is repeated by the immediate ‘Style’ and the sweeping, acoustic guitar of ‘Out Of The Woods’ successfully to deliver a promising first third of the album. However, following this the album becomes exposed for what it is; it becomes predictable as Adams tries to add an extra layer to the pop brilliance of Taylor Swift. This is never more apparent than in ‘This Love’ where Adams contrasts poignant piano-led verses and a painfully bland chorus.

Yes there are still some brilliant tracks on the album; ‘Bad Blood’ in being the most similar to Swift results in an excellent alternative pop record, whilst ‘Wildest Dreams’ delivers in showcasing the talents of Adams superbly. But when they are contrasted by the dream pop guitars of ‘All You Had To Do Was Stay’, which almost induce sleep, and the different-for-different’s-sake ‘Shake It Off’ which turns the pop song of 2014 into an afterthought, it seeks to remind just how hard (and possibly self-defeating) the task Adams has taken on is.

And this is the crux of the issue: Taylor Swift sings each track with a child-like innocence in a style brilliantly contrived to deliver to the masses and it is understandable why Swift’s album resonates so much as a fantastic pop album. When Adams does the same songs there are interesting aspects, but after getting past the initial intrigue of the album Adams is exposed and is left to the initial song-writing of Swift to carry the album. It is more a credit to Swift than it is Adams that this album is passable. Despite this 1989 sees Adams do an admirable job at transforming Swift’s pop and in doing so has enhanced his reputation for being one of the most interesting solo acts performing today. (6/10)

Listen to 1989 here, and tell us what you think!