So Happy It Hurts by Bryan Adams Album Review

So Happy It Hurts by Bryan Adams Album Review

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Posted 2022-03-14 by Steven Gfollow
So Happy It Hurts by Bryan Adams – Album Review

This is my second Bryan Adams new release review for WeekendNotes. The last one, back in 2019, was a strong album that sort of fell under the radar. Let's see how this one goes…

So Happy It Hurts by Bryan Adams (2022)


I got this by digital download as a direct result of the last two album reviews I posted. I said I'd received three albums and didn't like one – well, the people who paid me made up for it with this. I would still prefer to be paid in money, but PayPal being as anti-me as they are, I guess I should be thankful for small mercies and for a company that actually reads my other writing output!

So… Bryan Adams. As well as his last album, I've done a classic album review of Reckless , and his songs crop up in various lists, so I like the guy. In general. But, despite him having released a few singles before the album's release earlier this month, I had no idea this was coming. It had bypassed my classic rock RSS feed, the singles had bypassed me, all announcements had bypassed me. I feel rather stupid for that happening and need to apologise.

This album, though, is the album of positivity we all need now. Adams found lockdown as hard as many of us, including having to cancel a Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame performance because he contracted COVID-19. The few interviews I found indicate the past couple of years affected him. But he has come out of it with a good attitude about it all, and that is translated so well to his new music. New? Well, yes, but a lot of this harkens back to earlier periods in sound, and I mean that in the best possible way.

I'm rambling. This album is so good. So very good. It might just be his best album for decades. I mean it. This is great.

And here it is!

'So Happy It Hurts' The opening track is almost a mission statement of the whole album. Upbeat, up-tempo and with lyrics of positivity, this is a cheerful song with one of those anthemic choruses that were the hallmark of much of Adams' 1980s and 1990s songs of this style. He has also filled the song with guitars and drums, adding to that throw-back feel.

'Never Gonna Rain "I'm gonna smile like I never had a heartache/ Laugh like I never had a care/ I'm gonna take my cup and fill it up…" Not quite as fast as the previous track, but still sounding full of joy, with a sort of gospel-like choir behind him at times, this is another strong one. There a few modern production elements here, but it does not detract from the song.

'You Lift Me Up' Another different in tempo and sound; this album is well put together. This song is a celebration of the people in his life, and it sounds like he genuinely means it.

'I've Been Looking For You' Okay, I can't be the only one who hears a hint of Buddy Holly rockabilly in this track, can I? This is my favourite on this collection, with even a simple but effective guitar solo thrown in.

'Always Have, Always Will' This song has the sound of something dating back, but I cannot put my finger on it. Still, it works as a gentle rocker with the backing vocals adding something extra that the song needed.

'On The Road' This is a song about being able to tour and perform again after too long of being cooped up. Simple. It's a love song to performance, and a good one it is, too.

'Kick Ass' We have an opening spoken word section from John Cleese, with the under-music, giving this song a start like a NWOBHM song, an AC/DC song… or a song by Spinal Tap. And I do not mean that as a bad thing. This is the longest song on the album (at 5 and a half minutes, it is the only song over 4 minutes long), and I think it is Adams going back to his rock and roll roots as much as he feels he can. He name-checks a few songs by classic rock artists in the lyrics, and this feels like a cathartic release for Adams that makes the listener smile as well.

'I Ain't Worth Sh*t Without You' An interesting lyrical conceit here. It's like he knew he was writing a sappy love song, but because of the overall feel of this album, he had to do something to amp it up a little. If not for that, this would have fit on any of his 1990s albums. I still like it.

'Let's Do This' "The sweetest sound is the voice of the woman I love…" This sounds like a line from an Ed Sheeran song, and yet it works. After the strange love song it follows, this is more traditional, with lots of percussive sounds, a chorus and acoustic guitars.

'Just Like Me, Just Like You' One of the few songs that is not a celebration, more self-deprecation, which means it stands out lyrically. It's not a bad song, but not a stand-out here in this set.

'Just About Gone' This song sounds like it would have fit in on one of Adams' 1980s albums, and, like the preceding song, it is another that does fit the vibe of the album, and yet it is saved by some good instrumentation.

'These Are The Moments That Make Up My Life' A celebration of the things that make Adams' life as good as he feels it is. Looking at the positives in life, and that is all. Starting slow and building up, this has a pseudo-anthemic feel about it that is such a good way to finish off the album.

12 tracks, 40 minutes. The length of albums I have enjoyed lately has been pretty consistent and a good length as well. So… this is, to me, a better album than Shine A Light, and it sounds like Adams had fun recording it. This is not just the album Adams needed to record, but it is almost the album a lot of us need to hear.

I really hope this album does well. Not a bad track (again), and such a glorious collection of songs.

Recommended. Yes. Definitely yes.
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83587 - 2023-06-11 06:43:26

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