Bryan Adams/ So Happy It Hurts

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR 

Bryan Adams/ So Happy It Hurts

Genre: Pop-rock

Label: Badams Music/ BMG

Rating: ***

Over the past four decades, Canadian star Bryan Adams has had some huge, huge hits. He's also had his set of detractors who think he's formula-driven and repetitive. Well, love him or hate him, there's no denying he's one of the most successful artistes of his generation.

Like a good chunk of his later work, his 15th album So Happy It Hurts has its share of crisp songwriting and anthemic material. It's quite like a throwback to the 1980s Reckless and Cuts Like A Knife sound, but there again, the downside is that we come across many familiar riffs and emotions. 

"You lift me up like the angels, you lift me up beautiful people, you lift me up strong women, you lift me up precious people", he sings on 'You Lift Me Up', in a rasp you've heard a zillion times before. The thing is you still hum along, and get that ego boost when he calls you 'precious' or 'beautiful'.

Bryan worked on the album after lockdown and played most of the parts on his own, with inputs from co-producer Robert 'Matt' Lange. As such, his two trusted lieutenants - the incredibly talented guitarist Keith Scott and drummer Pat Steward - appear only on a few numbers, sending their  respective bytes.

But Bryan knows his target audience, getting into driving song mode on the opening title track, which begins, "Driving down Trans-Canada One, top down, I got the radio on, alright, gotta get there tonight, a little closer, every bend in the road".  The next song 'Never Gonna Rain' has those singalong choruses that's perfect for concert interactivity.

In terms of composition, 'I'm Looking For You' is reminiscent of his popular 'The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You'. There's the standard arena rock song 'On The Road' and one called 'Kick Ass' which tells you yet again how the world can be saved by a kick ass rocking band. The latter begins with a long speech by actor John Cleese, which also works as a lullaby. But the rest of the song is singalong euphoria.

In a more direct way of attracting female fans, 'Let's Do This' has the line, "The sweetest sound is the sound of the woman I love", followed by a pause long enough to make the ladies drool or faint. The tune of 'These Are The Moments That Make Up...' reminds you of Sting's 'If I Ever Lose My Faith', but without the depth of lyricism.

All said and done, this is a typical Bryan Adams album filled with big guitars, hard rhythms and very relatable though often-touched lyrics. Plus it has the car-friendly, party-happy and radio ga-ga vibes that'll make you play on, even if you know it's not the most innovative thing one could hear. The predictability hurts, but it makes you happy too.