Bryan Adams – Roll With the Punches Review

One of the sad realities Bryan Adams fails to face on Roll with the Punches is his inability to overlap sincere beliefs with his writing style. For too long now, the Summer of ‘69 hitmaker has coasted off that hit and presented a steady stream of futile, feel-good music. You cannot claim to be the last standing hope of rock and roll’s future (as he did on So Happy it Hurts) if everything you make is contributing to its decline. Adams, then, is a hypocrite, and not a very interesting one. His latest studio album, Roll With the Punches, softens the cringe-inducing God of Rock thought process of his previous album, and instead focuses on dusting yourself down in dark times. A simple message which Adams hopes will cut through. Any other songwriter would think to include extra details, to offer variety. Roll with the Punches does not do that, instead highlighting just how far behind Adams is as a songwriter in the rock and roll genre.  

His refusal to evolve can be heard throughout the grating, two-note strokes of this record. It is peculiar that a man with such an ear for the basics of rock and roll cannot adapt them further. His title track will trick listeners into thinking he has gone down the road of distortion and disaster as a way of forming his music. If only. Roll with the Punches is as predictable as its title would suggest. He is, indeed, rolling with the punches. He asks listeners to do the same in a measly attempt to create optimism in the face of adversity. An album where every song can be summarised from its title alone. Without depth, we are left with the guitar-led rock and roll Adams has been churning out for decades. It would be easy listening if it were not for how predictable it all sounds.  

Some vaguely entertaining guitar solos are all Roll With the Punches has, and even then, the fretwork is of a showy but shallow nature. Brian May, but without the desire to add anything to the song. Generic filth at the best of times, Adams is a reliable rocker for those scared of change. He offers ten songs of limited variety and even less instrumental urgency. Reflective rocker woes with the growing pains highlighted in feeble second song, Make Up Your Mind. What is most frustrating of all is that Adams sounds as though he intentionally limits himself as a lyricist, preventing any form of controversy or commentary by sticking to the safety of middle-of-the-road music. People scared of the real world will love this. But if Roll with the Punches is meant to be this easy-going escapism, why is Adams’ work set to idle positivity, facing off against the real world? 

A Little More Understanding is an embarrassing example of this. Adams wants to be socially relevant yet distance himself from anything occurring. The tackiest writing is in place, with always simple instrumental pieces in their inevitable places. Just give Life is Beautiful a listen to figure out how aimless these songs are. Generalities which hammer home the positivity Adams has become an ambassador for, despite lacking the sincerity of his peers. Love is Stronger than Hate is a fundamental truth which has been parroted through rock for decades. Adams tells people to “shut off the news, shut off the hate,” an embarrassing read on the world which suggests the rocker either doesn’t know what to say, or has no comment on the world’s highs and lows. Either way, it’s an embarrassing moment for Adams, and not the first from Roll with the Punches.  

It is ironic to hear How’s That Working for Ya follow Love is Stronger than Hate up, then. One song suggests keeping to your own business, and yet the very next indicates what a terrible idea it is. Both are bitchy, holier-than-thou expressions from the songwriter, too, which makes it even tougher to listen to. Adams is not exactly a man of multitudes. In pandering to everyone, Adams shows his music can identify with nobody, not one soul with a lived-in experience or a unique read on the world. For those whose worldviews and interactions are based more on what they see through Facebook memes and Netflix recommendations, the grey paste of Roll with the Punches will taste delicious. An unbelievably pitiful effort. If a young upstart musician offered these, they would be given the benefit of it being their first time. For Adams to offer this, with decades of experience behind him, is either an acceptance of mundanity or a clear sign his heart is just not in it, lyrically or instrumentally.