There's a misfit between the image of Ryan Adams and what he actually achieves. From the title of his album and the way he dresses, it seems like it's trying to be rebellious, or maybe just veer on the safe side and be MOR Rock, for Radio 2 and similar radio stations. It looks like he's trying to prove how real, and rock and roll he is, without being so outrageously so that he alienates his housewife fans. But what he actually achieves is quite a dull album.
He has a skill for writing songs, except it only seems like for writing one or two songs. The single So Alive is one of them. Unfortunately the rest of the album just seems to be variatons on that theme, and it's just so derivative. Maybe he should just stop releasing every single song he writes (it seems he's going to release songs on his own label as well... songs that his proper label didn't want), and just wait a few years for the singles collection. Maybe then we can sit through the whole thing without falling asleep.