Bryan Adams Albums (15)
What The Critics Say
Never one for subtlety, Bryan Adams once had a flair for hooks so grand and universal that they filled arenas and blanketed the airwaves. In 2008, some 11 studio albums into his career (according to Adams' own calculation, apparently taking soundtracks into consideration, because by a simple count of studio albums 11 seems to be his tenth full-length proper album), 11 felt like something he'd done before, some ten or 15 years previously. To a certain extent, Adams' refusal to acknowledge shifting fashions was admirable -- especially for somebody who has made a name for himself in the new millennium with his fashionable photography. 11 is such a relic of '90s mainstream rock that it almost feels as if it were cryogenically frozen in 1993 and unfrozen later, as the album is filled with cavernous drums, shimmering guitar textures, and stately ballads. Bryan Adams is enough of a pro to create an album that sounds for all the world like the kind of glistening, gleaming record his fans have grown to love, but 11 would have been improved if Adams had focused more on the type of big hooks that could suck you in despite your better instincts. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Bryan Adams released his ninth studio album, Room Service, in September 2004 in the U.K. and his native Canada, and it took seven additional months for the disc to receive American release. Room Service sounds as if Adams unearthed a collection of punchy, polished pop/rock tunes and power ballads that he cut 15 years previously and released it as his new album. Marginally better than 1996's 18 'Til I Die, where Adams seemed desperate to sound and (more accurately) look hip, Room Service isn't bad -- it never takes enough risks to be bad; it's merely pleasant and professional -- and surely Adams fans who have stuck with him this long will find it ingratiating. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Three years after the release of 1998's On a Day Like Today, Bryan Adams had not gotten around to completing a new collection, so he and his record company, A&M, kept the pipeline supplied with product, releasing the 2001 compilation The Best of Me and the DVD Live at Slane Castle. By 2003, there still didn't seem to be a new album in sight, so A&M pressed up a 2000 concert Adams had performed at the Budokan arena in Tokyo that had been broadcast on Japanese television, releasing both a CD/DVD package and a DVD-only version. On the latter, his fourth live recording in the last eight years (counting 1995's Live! Live! Live! and 1997's MTV Unplugged CD and DVD), Adams turns in a bare-bones show. It's just him, on bass and vocals, Keith Scott on guitar, and Mickey Curry on drums, all of them decked out in white T-shirts, jeans, and sneakers and playing white instruments on a bare stage. All that white gives the lighting designer a chance to throw some interesting patterns on the trio, but that's it as far as staging goes. The trim, acne-scarred, forty-ish frontman comes off as an unadorned rocker, his catchy tunes very much in the tradition of guitar-dominated pop/rock dating back to the '60s. Occasionally, he slows things down for one of his many romantic ballads. Just when sameness is setting in, he invites an audience member up to take over Mel C's part on "When You're Gone," and the moment is both touching and awkward. But for the most part, it's song-song-song, and unless the viewer is a dyed-in-the-wool Adams fan, things drag long before the end. The 22-song main set, running 98 minutes, is augmented by four "bonus tracks" adding another quarter of an hour. [Live at the Budokan was also released as a DVD/CD package, containing a CD that featured 15 highlights from the 26-track DVD.] ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
'Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron'
Release Date 5/14/2002
Tracks 15
Label Universal
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Much like Disney's Tarzan, Dreamworks' animated epic Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron opts for a mostly pop-based soundtrack instead of an instrumental score. Tarzan used the music of Phil Collins as a backdrop to its stunning visuals; Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron features 15 new tracks from Bryan Adams to lend atmosphere to the tale of a runaway stallion's journey across the Old West. Adams' rousing, slightly sweet anthems are a good match to the film's look and theme, and they're also in keeping with the rest of his work. "Here I Am," "I Will Always Return," and "Don't Let Go" could fit in just as easily on his albums as on this collection. Likewise, "Get off My Back" sounds a lot like it could've been on 18 'Til I Die. There's some variety here as well, demonstrated by the vaguely Native American-influenced "Brothers Under the Sun" and understated ballads like "Here I Am" and "Nothing I've Ever Known." Not all of the diversity works well, however; the rebellious "You Can't Take Me" suffers from some shrill, tinny-sounding synths that make it difficult to listen to. The few instrumental excerpts at the end of the album round it out nicely, making Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron is a pleasant and successful soundtrack, especially for Bryan Adams' fans. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
'On a Day Like Today'
Release Date 10/17/1998
Tracks 13
Label Gut Bounce
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What The Critics Say
During the first few years of the 90s, Bryan Adams reigned as one of the world's biggest chart-toppers. The crossover success of his melodic power ballads, such as "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You," "Do I Have to Say the Words," "Please Forgive Me" and "All For Love" played a large role in the multiplatinum sales of his 1991 album, Waking Up the Neighbors, and his greatest hits collection, So Far So Good. However, as the decade progressed, Adams' popularity began to slip, partially due to a lackluster record (1996's 18 Til I Die), partially due to the changing trends. The biggest criticism of 18 Til I Die was the absence of strong ballads and the unbalanced, grunge-rock anthems. With On A Day Like Today, it is obvious that Adams took 18 til I Die's criticism to heart; the album shoots for a crossover success by using a softer, tamer sound. Unfortunately, most of the songs prove just why Adams has been unable to generate a real hit in the last few years: he's obviously run out of ideas. Nearly all of the melodies lack good hooks, and the lyrics to such songs as "If I Had You" are miserably trite (though lyrics were never a noteworthy talent for Adams). Especially unforgivable is the cheap single "When You're Gone," which "features" backing vocals by Melanie Chism of the Spice Girls, which can be taken as obvious attempt by Adams to stay in the public's eye by hiring a "star of the minute" who plays music nothing like his own. Fans will find On A Day Like Today to be a better album than 18 til I Die, but they will still probably agree that MTV Unplugged is Adams' best late-90s record. ~ Barry Weber, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Only two years after delivering his first live set, Bryan Adams returned with his second, MTV Unplugged. Of course, "unplugged" albums were in vogue in the '90s, but it has to be said that Adams arrived a little late in the game, several years after efforts by Eric Clapton and 10,000 Maniacs ruled the charts. Nevertheless, Adams' MTV Unplugged is a strong effort, featuring stripped-down versions of such staples as "Summer of '69," "Cuts Like a Knife," and "Heaven" that prove that he's a resourceful straight-ahead rocker with a knack for a hook. There's also a handful of surprises, like early cuts like "Fits Ya Good" and a few new songs, that keep the record interesting for dedicated fans, but the overall quality of the music makes the record one of his best efforts of the '90s. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'Give Me Your Love'
Release Date 7/12/1996
Tracks 9
Label Universal/Polygram
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Adams and Robert "Mutt" Lange (Def Leppard, Shania Twain) appended the corporate vision "forever young" to the songwriting/production duo's carefully-crafted, 13-point wrinkle cream product line. The team has worked hard to strip the sessions of the most overt Lange-isms, and there's a tougher variety of material here than your typical Adams chart singles. In particular, "Do to You" fuses a startling, ear-bending phased effect to its rockin' R&B structure. Still, there's nothing here that would risk quaking Adams' granite fan base, and his 18 'Til I Die quest is driven by a tone of calculated desperation. No complaints with the basic sentiment itself, the desire to maintain a youthful perspective which many of us can relate with. Rather, it's disappointment that the best investment Adams can think of making with his fountain of youth is "gonna have a ball -- yea gonna have a blast." It's that when he spends some meaningful time with his girl on "Let's Make A Night to Remember," the most depth he can muster is "cause I've never touched somebody like the way I touch your body/Now I never want to let your body go." ~ Roch Parisien, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Bryan Adams's Live! Live! Live! is a straightforward live album, featuring his greatest hits replicated in concert. Adams' support band is professional and he is in fine voice. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'Waking up the Neighbours'
Release Date 9/24/1991
Tracks 15
Label A&M
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Although not as good as Reckless, Bryan Adams' 1991 album, Waking up the Neighbours, signaled his commercial apex. Bridging the time gap between '80s arena rock and '90s angst-ridden grunge, the album also ushered in an era in which Adams became more known for his sweeping power ballads than his straight-ahead rock tunes. This album, filled with nearly 75 minutes of showstopping arena rockers and mid-tempo ballads, churned out no less than five hit singles, the most notable being the Robin Hood Prince of Thieves theme "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You." That ballad spent seven weeks atop the U.S. pop charts, becoming the longest-reigning American chart-topper since Prince's "When Doves Cry" seven years earlier. The song also became a phenomenon in Europe, becoming Adams' biggest hit ever. Other singles which followed included the joyous rocker "Can't Stop This Thing We Started," which became a number two hit, the mid-tempo ballads "Do I Have to Say the Words" and "Thought I'd Died and Gone to Heaven," and the fun, straight-ahead rocker "There Will Never Be Another Tonight." Waking up the Neighbours was co-produced by Robert Jon "Mutt" Lange, and as a result, many of these songs sound as though they could have easily been Def Leppard recordings, especially "All I Want Is You," which sounds like "Pour Some Sugar on Me" part two. Nonetheless, Waking up the Neighbours is a fun album and perfect for those who expect nothing more than an old-fashioned good time from their rock & roll. ~ Jose F. Promis, All Music Guide
