On A Day Like Today

Since 1978, Bryan Adams has been churning out solid rock'n'roll overflowing with more hooks than a tacklebox. ON A DAY LIKE TODAY follows the same formula of great songwriting, adding a contemporary edge that's led to this being Adams' most adult-sounding album.
Beefing up the guitars and tossing aside some of his more saccharine tendencies allowed Adams to put more of an edge to songs as simplistic as "C'mon C'mon C'mon" and "Cloud Number Nine". Drum-machine-like rhythms gild the abundant hooks of "Getaway" while "If I Had You" gives off an ethereal vibe reminiscent of Chris Isaak sans the Orbisonish croon. Adams tackles adult topics such as the uncertainty of life ("On A Day Like Today"), being the other guy in an affair ("Fearless") as well as playing the deceitful card in a relationship ("I'm A Liar"). Rock and roll still rules the roost in "Before The Night Is Over", but Adams' best moment comes during his duet with Melanie C. on the soulful-as-hell "When You're Gone". This powerful nugget is devoid of any teeny-bopperisms and Mel C. impresses as she sounds more like Joan Osborne and less like Sporty Spice.|