Ryan Adams.

As naive and commercialistic as I was when it came to all parts of popular culture in middle school and the beginning of high school, I still like to think that I've had a good ear for a while. That is to say, while I listened to more than my fair share of horrible modern rock, my tastes and preferences have constantly evolved (for the best I believe).

I remember I read an article about Ryan Adams in a magazine in 2001, which compared his alt-country sound to Lucinda Williams' Car Wheels On A Gravel Road album which has been one of my favorite cds for a long time. After buying Gold and giving it a good listen, I discovered that apart from the alt-country vibe both records had, the comparison was pretty far off base. I was certainly intrigued though, and began to look into everything else the guy had done.

After one listen through Heartbreaker, I was hooked. Grabbing every unreleased B-side, outtake and live bootleg I could get my hands on, there was no turning back. The next "phase" in my musical timeline was in full effect.

While I've moved past that stage where everything done by the man transcends mere perfection, there's little doubt in my mind that he is one of, if not, the best lyrical songwriters performing today; he's also one of the most self-destructive. His live performances are radiant (when he's not too wasted or stoned), his lyrics are amazing (when he's not too enamored with creating 123,000 unfunny hip hop songs) and his rhythm and melody are untouched (when he's not resigned to performing and writing like he's imitating himself).

His discography is incredible and bland at the same time, and who knows where Ryan Adams will be in ten years. If he keeps on evolving and moving forward, he deserves everything he'll get; if he continues to put out mediocre material in the mass quantities his fans are used to, he'll deserve everything he'll get.

Either way, the jury is still out.