Published on May 12, 1998
Bryan Adams might be a superstar now, but
Cuts Like A Knife was the album that back in 1983 planted
the seeds for his modern-day success.
Both some strong songwriting and a just-reaching-puberty MTV
helped heaps in the development of Adams as mega-star, but even 15
years after the album was released,
Cuts Like A Knife has some great pop hooks on it, as well as
some weak links one would expect from a young rocker.
Three songs stand out in my mind on this album. “This Time” is a
healthy slab of pop-rock: short, with a catchy beat and infectious
chorus. If Adams could have bottled it, he would have made
millions. The title track is also a pop masterpiece, with a guitar
line that sounds like it’s singing the chorus at times. These two
songs, along with their corresponding videos (and, in the case of
“Cuts Like A Knife,” the mere suggestion of a little T&A), made
sure that people would remember the young Canadian for years to
come.
But Adams also demonstrated he could work the dreaded ballad in
his favor, showing this on “Straight From The Heart”. Still kind of
rock-oriented for a ballad, Adams delivered the goods well without
watering down the message or his music, and the song is much more
listenable than other ballads of this time period.
Cuts Like A Knife also contains some “shoulda-been” hits,
such as “Don’t Leave Me Lonely,” which is one of the best
groove-based numbers that Adams ever recorded, and could possibly
be one of his harder-edged songs of his career. Other songs like
“I’m Ready,” “The Best Was Yet To Come” and “Take Me Back” aren’t
as strong, but are enjoyable nonetheless.
There are a few potholes on this album, however. “What’s It
Gonna Be” and “Let Him Know” are pure filler that disappoint
greatly when compared to some of the other songs on this album. And
even though Adams was still young and learning the ropes, one would
have thought he’d have known better when it came time to do this,
his third album.
Still, there are enough good moments and “hidden treasures” on
Cuts Like A Knife to make it worthy of your dollars and
attention – not even the “greatest hits” compilations could capture
all the magical moments off this one.