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Like all great artists Ryan Adams has never been one to do things by the book. But even by the tempestuous singer songwriter’s standards choosing to release a full rework of Taylor Swift’s 1989 is about as much of an abstruse career move that it’s possible to make.
The concept is not a new one for Adams: over the last two decades Adams has been taken the opportunity on numerous occasions to acknowledge contemporaries. The Strokes, Fleetwood Mac, Alice in Chains, Bob Mould, Vampire Weekend, Elton John and of course Oasis have all been subjects of Adams’ seemingly inexhaustible appetite to show solidarity with his fellow musicians.
Adams’ version of Taylor Swift’s 1989, one of the biggest selling records of the modern era, therefore represents a brave move both artistically and commercially. And it’s one that has paid dividends.
'Shake it Off' is now dark, mysterious and brooding with an atmosphere that is more Joy Division than joyous. It is, all things considered, a quite remarkable transformation. 'Bad Blood' loses the synthetic staccato urban beat (and Kendrick Lamar) and becomes a wistful country pop lament complete with melodic guitar solo coda. There’s delicate finger-picking on 'Blank Space' which is given a new delicate folk-tinged identity. When Adams sings “I’ll write your name” it’s with such sincerity that it could well have been penned by the man himself. 'Style' is all reverb and distorted 80s guitars making for a denser, more confrontational experience than that evoked by Swift’s original whilst 'Wildest Dream' is the album highlight thanks to Adams’ Byrdsian guitar jangle.
What exactly Adams is ultimately trying to achieve with 1989 remains unclear and whilst his reinvention, by its very nature, will garner significant attention the real winner is Swift, or more specifically 1989. Why? Because fundamentally the raw materials Adams had to work with were of such high quality and by demonstrating how they translate into an, at times, unrecognisable format, Adams proves that. Where Adams goes from here is anybody’s guess.
