Ryan Adams
originally planned to release an album called
Wednesdays
in the middle of 2019, a few months after the release of
Big Colors
. He announced this schedule in January 2019 and within a month, his plan was put on hold after the New York Times published an article containing allegations of abuse perpetrated by the singer/songwriter against several women. The news sent
Adams
into seclusion for nearly two years, a silence that was interrupted with occasional apologies and missives on social media. He returned to active duty without fanfare in December 2020, releasing a surprise album called
. It's hard to say whether this is the same record that would've been released a year earlier. It has the same title but not the artwork that was floated on the internet, plus a couple of the songs were listed on the provisional track listing for the scrapped
. This comeback version of
is frontloaded with songs that elliptically allude to apologies for the allegations, opening with the back-to-back "I'm Sorry and I Love You" and "Who Is Going to Love Me Now, If Not You," songs that echo excuses from abusers, whether intentionally or not. What follows is a side of
in his mopey sad sack mode, followed by a relatively livelier side that kicks off with "Birmingham," the track with the quickest pulse on the album. With their spare arrangements and threadbare melodies, the songs collectively create an impression of a singer/songwriter who feels quite sorry for himself, but not necessarily sorry for anything he may or may not have done. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine