Ryan Adams “returned” to music this year with Ashes & Fire, possibly his most heartfelt and earnest album to date. I try my bestest not to read into music with an artist’s off-stage life, but there’s no getting around the fact that this album was born with and grew from his sobriety and his marriage to Mandy Moore.
What am I doing here?
What am I?
Somebody save me
It’s just too much pain
If someone can save me
From the morning, I will remain
Somebody save me
Save me…
It’s sweet, without being saccharine. It’s lovey-dovey, without being clingy. It’s simple, without being dolt. He’s regularly sung about asking for help and seeking rescue. But if I’m not mistaken, this is the first time he sounds like he actually received them both.
We may not have started the fire, but we can at least put it out and clean the ashes up.
