Bryan Adams - On a Day Like Today

Adams' 1998 studio album return put him back on solid ground on the charts in the US and became a best seller in Europe as well, spurred on the by the release of a Chicane remix of the single "Cloud #9" and the duet with Sporty Spice (Melanie C) "When You're Gone", a song that sounded very much like vintage Squeeze in style. This edition adds "Lie To Me", a song not on the US equivalent. Album Description

Simply Fantastic!!

I have been a fan of Bryan Adams since he first blew onto the scene in the 80's. I can still remember blasting the album 'Reckless' on my boombox endlessly into the night. Sure it was pure pop, but it STILL rocks like no tommorow and nobody served it up better.

Flash forward to the late 90's, and Bryan quietly releases 'On A Day Like Today', which bombs commercially and vanishes off the charts without a whisper. It was a real shame, as most people missed out on one of the most refreshing, introspective, and melodic albums he has ever produced.

What defines this CD, was the level of maturity and strong songwriting. Bryan really set the bar high for himself on this disc and he doesn't disappoint. The album seamlessly blends a wonderful mixture of ballads, rock and roll, and mid tempo songs. Stand out tracks are 'Inside Out', 'If I Had You', and 'One A Day Like Today', 'Getaway', 'Before The Night Is Over', and the cream of the crop, 'Cloud Number Nine'.

Don't miss this overlooked treasure! March 8, 2006

Simple words---its a mature bryan adams

I have been listening to brayan since my college days...you know one of those high hormone times when you are fighting yourself :o) and your music is more about passion (or things similar) than any thing else.

Now what I am gonna say might surprise or even offend a lot of people but I think this is the most mature composition that ever came out of bryan. Its one of those CDs that you just pop in and listen to every song not just one or two tracks. I rate the CD based on Lyrics, Music and the effect both have and this collection is the first time perfect blend of bryans husky voice, great guitar and simple realistic lyrics. To some they may not invoke a lot of passion...but hey Pink floyds Wall was a big hit (infact my fav too) i dont think it had passion instead it had sense. This is some thing similar. Its a maturing bryan singing more realistic songs ... thats all... :o)

my suggestion is if you liked his other albums ...chances that you will like this one are high ...chances that you will find it passionate I would say would be 30(Y)-60(N)....I would say give it a shot see how he has changed in all these years....:o) June 17, 2005

Simply something

I am a huge Bryan Adams fan...have been for quite some time. There's just something about that husky, smoky voice of his that melts my heart when he sings, especially his ballads. Anyway, this, by far, is my favorite album of all his others. I honestly can say there isn't one song on this CD that I DON'T like, which is rare for me...I can always pick out at least three or four that I'm not real fond of. His "18 Til I Die" CD is also great, but there are a couple of tunes on it I could do without. This CD, however, is one I can crank up, put on continuous play, and listen to over and over again. I love it. One of my favorite tunes on here is "I'm A Liar." It's just such a fun, upbeat song. Also, "C'mon, C'mon, C'mon" is a smooth sounding song with a great melody. If faced with a choice between this and ANY other CD of Bryan Adams, go with this one...trust me on this. You'll come to adore it, just as I do. One day, I'll have to buy another one because I'll wear out the one I have from being played too much. But, for a second choice, definitely go with "18 Til I Die" or "So Far So Good;" either albums are great choices, too. December 21, 2004

Adult Contemporary Adams - but less 'Personal Passion'

Bryan Adams' "On A Day Like Today" again marked a new chapter in a legendary career. In the 80s, Bryan did some great work on albums such as "Cuts Like a Knife", his signature album "Reckless", his deep album "Into the Fire", and his commerically successful "Waking Up The Neighbours". Following that string of 4 albums, Bryan released "18 Til I Die" which really didn't achieve the glory of those past 4 albums. His next Studio album was this one and unfortunately, this album keeps Bryan Adams stagnent and makes me wonder if he will ever achieve the heights he had in the 80s.

Like "18 Til I Die" this is not a terrible album, but it just doesn't reach the high standards set by Bryan Adams in the past. Unlike "18 Til I Die" which was an album in which Bryan Adams had a "Mid Life Crisis and Youthful resurgance", this album goes back toward a more mature Bryan Adams. I can best describe this as his "Adult Contemporary Album". Most of the songs could easily be played on an "Adult Contemporary" or "Mix" station. A big change on this album is the absence of Robert "Mutt" Lange (Mr Shania Twain). Lange was a major contributer from a musicianship, songwriting, and production standpoint on the last 2 albums. Lange was never able to achieve the great songwriting that Bryan had with Jim Vallance in the 80s, but didn't do a bad job. The replacement for Lange was producer Phil Thornalley. Thornalley also co-writes some songs with Bryan. The other main co-writer with Bryan is Gretchen Peters whom Bryan worked with on the "Unplugged" live album. As for the Adams Band - Mickey Curry, Dave Taylor, and Keith Scott are all back. Gone is keyboardist Tommy Mandel.

So what doesn't help this album reach the bar that Adams has set. My big feel is that many of the songs lack the personal passion that Bryan brought on all of his albums up until this one. There are 4 songs ("Before the Night Is Over", "I Don't Wanna Live Forever", "When You're Gone", and "Cmon Cmon Cmon") on this album that do show the old passion, but for the most part it does lack the personal passion. Especially the title track "On a Day Like Today" - I thought one of the weakest tracks on the album was picked as the title song. The song does nothing to stick in my mind. It is really the four songs I list above which really carry the album as a whole.

"Before the Night Is Over" has almost a feel from "Reckless" to it. It is the strongest song on the album. Just from the opening chords and lines "Hey Baby". If I were the record company and Adams, this would have been the single I released. "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" quick tempo to it and has some great raspy vocals and harmonies, although it doesn't quite have a feel from "Reckless" (this song really stands more on its own as opposed to comparing to past works. "Cmon Cmon Cmon" has a very 90s feel to it and it almost reminds me of "Rock On" and kind of reminds me of a much softer and more mature version of Michael Damian's "Rock On".

"When You're Gone" is the most interesting and eye-catching song. The reason is that Melanie C from the Spice Girls (better known by her Spice Girl persona 'Sporty Spice'). This song starts with almost a retro Beach Boys start. Don't let the Spice Girls connection shy you away from this song. Melanie C holds her own in this song and blends her harmonies beautifully with Bryan on this song. Melanie C basically does background vocals for the entire song and my only complaint is I would have liked to hear her get a little more of a solo (she does get a couple of solo lines). I give Bryan credit for not being afraid to put a Spice Girl on one of his albums.

So Bryan Adams will go the Adult Contemporary Route marking another chapter in what is sure to be a Hall of Fame Career. This won't be one of his albums that gets him into the Hall of Fame, but it won't prevent him from getting in. May 21, 2004

Where did I put my guitar??

I miss Bryan's 80s works, where you could never see him with out his electric guitar in hand, pounding out simple but effective songs much to my delight..,well he still has his guitar, its here on the cover of the album, but unfortunately, that's where it stays.

There are some fantastic mood music songs on here. "C'mon C'mon C'mon" has a great relaxing vibe to it, that you may hear playing in the background of a cozy room on a bleak day or rain-soaked night. It's perfect. "Fearless" is a nice uptempo ballad about cheating, its a nice song though and it works well. "How Do you Feel Tonight" gets things going pretty good but is a little lacking compared to the aforementioned tracks, still a nice song.

A duet with a Spice Girl? Uhhh, I don't know how smart that was, its a good song ("When You're Gone") but I guess ol Bryan was just trying to capitalize on the mainstream power, the THEN power, of the Spice Girls..either way, it too, is a decent song.

But towards the end of the album, things just fall apart and I'm sorry to say that there is nothing special on the album after "Inside Out" which is the last decent track, mixing a nice and steady rhythm with a good beat for some good down-tuned enjoyment. I guess you may consider it a ballad, but to me it isn't quite because it has too much of an upbeat feel for it...might have even sounded better had it been done on a simple acoustic guitar.

For the most part this album has a very soft adult-comtemporary feel to it a la Sting or Rod Stewart, and he has worked with these individuals in the past. When I first heard this album I loved most of these songs but as the year's have gone by (Well, since 2001 when I first got it) I enjoy it a little less and less. The tracks above that I mentioned are always going to be classics to me, but I used to find much more to like about this album...

Stick To Your Guns Bryan. Pull out the guitar and let us hear you rock! 6/13 January 30, 2004

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