Ryan Adams (Lost Highway)
He may look like a slacker, but Ryan Adams is proving to be one of the hardest-working men in music. Even as he goes back into the studio to record the proper follow-up to last September's Gold, one of PEOPLE'S 10 best discs of 2001, the alt-country poster boy returns with this collection of 13 previously unreleased demo recordings made from December 2000 to October 2001. While Demolition doesn't have anywhere near the luster of Gold, it effectively captures a raw talent in the rough: Each track was recorded live in the studio with no retouching. With their brooding beauty, the folky ballads (including three acoustic-guitar gems that didn't make the cut for Gold) far outshine the tossed-off country rockers. The aching "Desire," with its bluesy harmonica, will surely leave listeners wanting more of Adams.
Bottom Line: Demo dynamo
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