III/IV

In mid-2006, following a disagreement with his label, Lost Highway, Ryan Adams contacted producer Jamie Candiloro asking for assistance in recording new material. The sessions would mark the first time that Adams had been sober since he was fifteen years old.{{Cite web |url=http://paxamrecords.com/news/2010/iii-iv/#more-749 |title=III/Iv | Pax•Am |access-date=2010-12-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101227222906/http://paxamrecords.com/news/2010/iii-iv/#more-749 |archive-date=2010-12-27 |url-status=dead }}

Prior to the album's release in late 2010, drummer Brad Pemberton stated: "Coming off Cold Roses and Jacksonville City Nights, I wasn’t expecting this. A flurry of rock songs written by a man who had made some big changes in his life and was owning up to some mistakes. There is a hopefulness and renewed lust for life in these lyrics, and that inspired what I think is some of the best songs we ever recorded. I don’t often listen to the records we made, but over the past four years, I’ve indulged myself with these songs, and I'm so happy they are finally going to be heard. The bulk of these tunes were done in just a few days at Electric Lady, where Ryan had been holed up for a while writing and recording. Of course, while there we also managed to record Easy Tiger."

{{Music ratings

|MC=(71/100){{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/iiiiv/ryan-adams/critic-reviews|title=Critic Reviews for III/IV|website=Metacritic|access-date=3 May 2013}}

|rev1=Allmusic

|rev1Score={{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/iii-iv-mw0002082843|title=III/IV - Ryan Adams|author=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|website=Allmusic|access-date=16 December 2010}}

|rev2=Alternative Press

|rev2Score={{Rating|3|5}}{{cite magazine|url=http://www.altpress.com/reviews/entry/ryan_adams_and_the_cardinals_iii_iv/|title=Ryan Adams And The Cardinals - III/IV|author=Aubrey Welbers|magazine=Alternative Press|date=16 December 2010|access-date=3 May 2013}}

|rev3=The A.V. Club

|rev3Score=B-{{cite news|url=http://www.avclub.com/articles/ryan-adams-the-cardinals-iiiiv,48990/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120719074705/http://www.avclub.com/articles/ryan-adams-the-cardinals-iiiiv,48990/|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 19, 2012|title=Ryan Adams & the Cardinals: III/IV|author=Steven Hyden|newspaper=The A.V. Club|date=14 December 2010|access-date=19 December 2010}}

|rev4=Entertainment Weekly

|rev4Score=B+{{cite magazine|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20448064,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110101061548/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20448064,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 1, 2011|title=III/IV Review|author=Melissa Maerz|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=17 December 2010|access-date=3 May 2013}}

|rev5=No Ripcord

|rev5Score={{Rating|7|10}}{{cite web|url=http://www.noripcord.com/reviews/music/ryan-adams-cardinals/iii-iv|title=Ryan Adams & The Cardinals: III & IV|author=Daniel Dylan Wray|publisher=No Ripcord|date=19 January 2011|access-date=3 May 2013}}

|rev6=Pitchfork

|rev6Score=(6.9/10){{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/14959-iiiiv/|title=Ryan Adams and the Cardinals: 'III/IV'|author=Amanda Petrusich|author-link=Amanda Petrusich|publisher=Pitchfork Media|date=4 January 2011|access-date=20 March 2011}}

|rev7=PopMatters

|rev7Score={{Rating|6|10}}{{cite magazine|url=http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/134731-ryan-adams-the-cardinals-cardinals-iii-iv/|title=Ryan Adams & the Cardinals: Cardinals III & IV|author=John Garratt|magazine=PopMatters|date=16 December 2010|access-date=3 May 2013}}

|rev8=Rolling Stone

|rev8Score={{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/iii-iv-20101214|title=III/IV|author=Will Hermes|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=14 December 2010|access-date=3 May 2013}}

|rev9=SPIN

|rev9Score=(7/10){{cite magazine|url=http://www.spin.com/reviews/ryan-adams-and-cardinals-iiiiv-pax-am|title=Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, 'III/IV' (PaxAm)|author=David Menconi|magazine=Spin|date=14 December 2010|access-date=14 December 2010}}

|rev10=Under the Radar

|rev10Score={{Rating|4|10}}{{cite magazine|url=http://www.undertheradarmag.com/reviews/iii_iv/|title=Ryan Adams & The Cardinals: III/IV (Pax Am)|author=Kenny S. McGuane|magazine=Under the Radar|date=28 January 2011|access-date=3 May 2013}}

}}

The album has a score of 71 out of 100 from Metacritic based on "generally favorable reviews".

IGN gave the album a score of eight out of ten and concluded, "There are a few rough spots, but even the lesser songs offer plenty to enjoy. [...] In the end, this scattered but rewarding album leaves you hoping the next album comes more quickly."{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2010/12/13/ryan-adams-the-cardinals-iii-iv-review|title=Ryan Adams & The Cardinals: III / IV Review|author=Chad Grischow|website=IGN|date=13 December 2010|access-date=3 May 2013}} Consequence of Sound gave it a score of four stars out of five and said, "With music from the nerdy recesses of his mind, to a triumphant release that happily displays some of his more off-center offerings, Adams continues to be a presence in music, this year and beyond."{{cite magazine|url=http://consequenceofsound.net/2010/12/album-review-ryan-adams-the-cardinals-cardinals-iiiiv/|title=Album Review: Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Cardinals III/IV|author=Chris Coplan|magazine=Consequence of Sound|date=8 December 2010|access-date=3 May 2013}} The Boston Globe gave it a favorable review and said that it "could easily be whittled down to a single excellent disc, but instead offers two pretty good ones."{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/ae/music/cd_reviews/articles/2010/12/13/ryan_adams__the_cardinals_iiiiv/|title=Ryan Adams & The Cardinals, 'III/IV'|author=Sarah Rodman|newspaper=The Boston Globe|date=13 December 2010|access-date=3 May 2013}} Beats Per Minute gave it a 71% and said, "There is still plenty to cherish here, and no Ryan Adams devotee is going to feel disappointed. In reality, this is likely just another detour in the ever evolving and confusing career of Ryan Adams."{{cite web|url=http://beatsperminute.com/reviews/album-review-ryan-adams-the-cardinals-iiiiv/|title=Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - III/IV|author=Jason Hirschorn|publisher=Beats Per Minute|date=31 January 2011|access-date=3 May 2013}} Sputnikmusic gave it a score of 3.5 out of five and said that most of the songs "come off as what you'd expect: a massive talent messing around in the studio and crafting some perfectly serviceable rock tunes."{{cite web|url=https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/40911/Ryan-Adams-III-IV/|title=Review: Ryan Adams - III/IV|author=Rudy K.|website=Sputnikmusic|date=27 December 2010|access-date=3 May 2013}} The New York Times gave it a positive review and said that in the end the album "may be of interest more for therapeutic than aesthetic reasons".{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/12/arts/music/12playlist.html?_r=0|title=Straightening Out, Rapping and Leading a Band|author=Nate Chinen|newspaper=The New York Times|date=10 December 2010|access-date=3 May 2013}} Paste gave it a score of seven out of ten and said, "Adams could still use a good editor to separate the wheat from the chaff, but the good thing about a demos compilation is that it doesn't have to be well-edited, and III/IV is better than most."{{cite magazine|url=http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2010/12/ryan-adams-iiiiv.html|title=Ryan Adams: III/IV :: Music :: Reviews|author=Andrew Leahey|magazine=Paste|date=14 December 2010|access-date=3 May 2013}}

Other reviews are average or mixed: Uncut gave it a score of three stars out of five and said that the album "often sounds like hollow noise--but improves when [Adams] warms down." Now also gave it a score of three stars out of five and said, "There's plenty here to compare to his unfairly criticized Rock N Roll record: new wave influences, contemporary alt-rock. The difference is that Adams sounds comfortable rather than out to prove a point."{{cite news|url=http://www.nowtoronto.com/music/story.cfm?content=178675|title=Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Cardinals III/IV|author=Jason Keller|newspaper=Now|date=January 13–20, 2011|access-date=3 May 2013}} Prefix Magazine gave it a mixed review and said that until Adams "learns to translate the raw, confessional edge of his music to his work in the genre, the results will always be as unsatisfying as III/IV."{{cite web|url=http://www.prefixmag.com/reviews/ryan-adams-and-the-cardinals/iiiiv/46996/|title=Album Review: Ryan Adams and the Cardinals - III/IV|author=Mike Burr|publisher=Prefix Magazine|date=28 December 2010|access-date=3 May 2013}}

{{track listing

| all_writing = Ryan Adams

| headline = Disc one

| title1 = Breakdown into the Resolve

| length1 = 4:01

| title2 = Dear Candy

| length2 = 2:31

| title3 = Wasteland

| length3 = 3:13

| title4 = Ultraviolet Light

| length4 = 3:43

| title5 = Stop Playing with My Heart

| length5 = 2:39

| title6 = Lovely and Blue

| length6 = 2:34

| title7 = Happy Birthday

| length7 = 2:28

| title8 = Kisses Start Wars

| length8 = 2:57

| title9 = The Crystal Skull

| length9 = 3:33

| title10 = Users

| length10 = 2:58

}}

{{track listing

| headline = Disc two

| title1 = No

| length1 = 3:03

| title2 = Numbers

| length2 = 2:54

| title3 = Gracie

| length3 = 3:31

| title4 = Icebreaker

| length4 = 2:13

| title5 = Sewers at the Bottom of the Wishing Well

| length5 = 2:42

| title6 = Typecast

| length6 = 3:18

| title7 = Star Wars

| length7 = 2:45

| title8 = My Favorite Song

| length8 = 3:15

| title9 = P.S.

| length9 = 2:44

| title10 = Death and Rats

| length10 = 2:35

| title11 = Kill the Lights

| length11 = 7:29

}}

{{ track listing

| headline = Bonus tracks

| title1 = Cemetery Hill

| note1 = iTunes exclusive track

| length1 = 3:40

| title2 = Destroyers

| note2 = free download from PAX AM online

| length2 = 4:25

| title3 = The Blue Canoe

| note3 = free download from PAX AM online

| length3 = 2:15

| title4 = Darkness

| note4 = free download from PAX AM online

| length4 = 5:34

}}

{{ track listing

| headline = Bonus Demo Download

| title1 = Breakdown into the Resolve

| length1 = 3:59

| title2 = Numbers

| length2 = 3:11

| title3 = Kisses Start Wars

| length3 = 3:30

| title4 = Kill the Lights

| length4 = 4:36

| title5 = (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Ghost

| length5 = 2:35

| title6 = No

| length6 = 2:25

| title7 = Icebreaker

| length7 = 1:51

| title8 = Happy Birthday

| length8 = 2:20

| title9 = My Reflection

| length9 = 3:56

| title10 = Users

| length10 = 2:51

| title11 = Death and Rats

| length11 = 1:44

}}

• Ryan Adams - vocals, guitars, piano, bass, synth
• Neal Casal - guitars, background vocals
• Jon Graboff - pedal steel, 12 string guitar
• Brad Pemberton - drums, percussion
• Catherine Popper - bass, background vocals
• Jamie Candiloro - organ, drums, percussion, keys, synth, piano
• Norah Jones - background vocals on "Typecast"

{{Reflist}}

• {{Metacritic album}}

{{Ryan Adams}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:III IV}}

Category:2010 albums

Category:Ryan Adams albums

Category:PAX AM albums