Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker

180-gram double LP reissue of Ryan Adams 2000 debut

Album download voucher for 96/24 WAV file version included

Heartbreaker is a near perfect record, the kind that never gets dated, with songs that slowly work themselves into our subconscious musical heritage. It's also Bloodshot Records' best seller ever. Upon its release in 2000, it was immediately apparent that Ryan Adams had taken a momentous leap forward with his songwriting and songcraft, abilities that had been merely hinted at in his days with Whiskeytown.

For such a fully formed, confident set of songs to come out of nowhere, with their easy amalgam of country and rock stylings, seemed impossible. Heartbreaker almost single handedly re-defined what was possible for roots music and moved firmly into the mainstream without a whiff of compromised quality. This raggedy folk-punk confessional, with its stripped down band and sparse arrangements combine to create a record full of soul-baring songs. It features some hefty guest appearances from Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch, David Rawlings and Kim Richey to boot.