- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
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His most ambitious collection of songs to date.
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"Gold" proves that Ryan Adams is capable of blending a myriad of styles and influences.
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The electric mood of Adams' sophomore disc definitely reflects his good fortunes and knack for solid songcraft.
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The album's sprawling tour through American music, from coast to beer-stained coast, is like a diner full of comfort food.
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A curious time warp of a recording: loud, soft, tender, mean, thoughtful, reckless.
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BlenderFeels positively grand in scope. [Aug/Sep 2001, p.120]
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Gold lacks the concise ache of Adams' indie solo prize from last year, Heartbreaker, but it is stronger on naked truth.
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Another staggering batch of Nashville by-way-of New York twanging folk-punk ditties that will all but solidify his reputation as the Gram Parsons of the no-depression set.
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Adams continues to grow as a songwriter.
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Gold has its good points and its filler.
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Gold sprawls but it rarely meanders, all the while signaling Adams' rite of passage from alt.country bad boy to Left Coast post-folkie.
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The record could quite possibly be one of the best of the year with a dash of self-control.
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It is when Adams veers from the hook-orientated path that the record suffers.
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Gold comes off as clean, shiny, and over-the-top as Elliott Smith's XO, replete with strings, horns, and female backup singers. I double-checked the credits. Jon Brion wasn't listed.
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The album seems to reflect craft rather than passion, and while it's often splendid craft, the fire that made Whiskeytown's best work so special isn't evident much of the time.
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The stylistic mix is dizzying, from Dylanesque odes to Motown soul, but more than that, Adams's influences are so prominent that you often feel like you're listening to other people.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 38 out of 40
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Mixed: 0 out of 40
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Negative: 2 out of 40
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Sep 17, 2011
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Sep 26, 2017
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Jul 14, 2013