One of the things I love so much about Ryan Adams’ new self-titled LP is the way in which he incorporates all these atavistic, objectively uncool ’80s sounds and wrings from them this absolutely devastating emotional power. Scott rightly compared the record to Bryan Adams; Chris Ryan at Grantland — also rightly — compared it to Tom Petty. And that’s all in there! By way of additional evidence, Ryan Adams covered Foreigner’s inescapable 1984 ballad “I Want To Know What Love Is” as part of his performance on NPR’s World Cafe. And today, audio of that track has landed. The original doesn’t exactly skimp on the portentous gloom, but Adams strips the song down to its essential components and makes it both bigger and sadder. The guy is having a great year, and this only adds to it. Stream or download below.

Ryan Adams – “I Want To Know What Love Is” (Foreigner Cover)