Released in 2014 and charting at number six in the UK (and number four on the Billboard 200 in the US), Adams’ self-titled album, produced by the artist and his recording partner Mike Viola, earned two nominations at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards in ‘Best Rock Song’, for lead single ‘Gimme Something Good’ and ‘Best Rock Album’.
After the largely acoustic Ashes & Fire, it marked a return to a rocking, electric approach inspired by the music he listened to while growing up: “The music that really, really mattered to me… nothing’s ever going to be more important to me than The Wipers, Hüsker Dü, The Replacements.” On his decision to release a self-titled album, Adams stated: “I could not think of a name for this record. Everything I came up with sounded so stupid. Everything sounded like a King Crimson album title,….I was like, I can’t call this ‘Shadows’ or something, I just can’t do it.“
