For first licks off Ryan Adam's upcoming release of Easy Tiger, check out this performance of "Goodnight Rose" from The Henry Rollins Show. I was lucky enough to catch Ryan Adams live this past fall at Town Hall and I realized how amazingly interesting he is to watch. He plays like he sings like he moves- all with a sort of boyish abandon for restraint. he jumps when he feels like jumping, he wails when he feels like wailing, he huddles into the piano when he feels just so and it's all beautifully uplifting and joyous to be a part of.
You can see that same style on this clip. You barely see his face with his tousled hair and his forward leans, but his body tells the music that he's singing. The opening hails back to the Grateful Dead's bright, jammy sound... offering up that "Goodnight Rose" riff, first easily and then grittier, harder, like it's gaining its own assertion.
The actual lead-in to Goodnight Rose is a perfect laying-out of the grand red carpet for Adams' voice. From the first words the song steps up beautifully with each lyric. The lyrics themselves remain in the blues-folk tradition, with a pronounced new optimism. "The sun will come up...get out of bed...the bar is closed." It's an after-the-rain image that sits well with Adams' energy. He rocks out, but with style and with his own unique blend of the greatest musical traditions. Adams' worlds always have a beauty/pain balance, so much so that he convinces you they are the same thing.
This song warrants many listens to get the simple beauty of it...and it totally gears me up for the album release. Adams is one of those artists that you just trust, and it's all a matter of waiting to see where he will take you next.
