Roll With The Punches

In the summer 2024, Canadian rock legend Bryan Adams launched his own label, BAD Records, with a surprising debut release: a double A-side single that featured Adams’ own raw recordings of two songs he contributed to KISS’ 1982 album *Creatures of the Night*. It was a welcome reminder that, for all his success as a heartland raconteur and blue-jeaned balladeer, Adams is a hard-rocker at his core. That raucous spirit resounds loud and clear on the title track of *Roll With the Punches*, which recaptures the arena-conquering glory of Adams’ mid-’80s classics with its crunchy guitar riff, booming mid-tempo stomp, and anthemic call-and-response refrain. Adams’ 16th album is a totem to his timeless storytelling and ageless energy, with his famous rasp finding its natural habitat in the jangle-pop jaunt “Make Up Your Mind,” the organ-powered soul strut “A Little More Understanding,” and the raunchy roadhouse blues of “How’s That Workin’ For Ya?” But Adams’ romantic side comes shining through on the ready-made wedding slow dance “Two Arms to Hold You” and the achingly nostalgic finale “Will We Ever Be Friends Again.”