Bryan Adams has spent more than four decades writing songs that have travelled around the world, but on his new album, How’s It Goin’, he turns his attention towards home. Released today (November 6) through his own BAD Records, the 13-track collection is perhaps one of the most personal and musically interesting records of his recent career, taking the familiar sound of Adams into some previously unexplored territory.

There is plenty here for fans of the big guitar-driven rock anthems that have defined his career, but How’s It Goin’ is not simply another exercise in revisiting familiar ground. Country, folk, Americana and traditional influences are woven into the record, giving it a distinctly rootsier feel and allowing Adams to approach his songwriting from a different perspective.

The result is an album that feels both distinctly Canadian and surprisingly expansive.

At its heart, How’s It Goin’ is a celebration of the people, places, landscapes and stories that have shaped Canada. From its vast open roads and maritime communities to its complicated history and extraordinary characters, Adams approaches the subject with affection, humour and, at times, considerable frustration. This is not an album interested in presenting an entirely romanticised picture of the country. There are darker stories here, too, and Adams is equally prepared to tackle them.

The title track sets the tone nicely. An upbeat, acoustic-driven number, ‘How’s It Goin’’ takes the listener on a musical journey across Canada, travelling from Vancouver and the prairie plains through Montreal, the Maritimes and towards the Yukon. Packed with local references and a conversational sense of humour, it is an energetic introduction to the album's wider ambitions. There is a looseness to the arrangement that feels refreshing, with Adams clearly enjoying the opportunity to move beyond the more familiar arena-rock formula.

Elsewhere, ‘Diesel & Dirt’ leans into grittier heartland rock, with slide guitar and a heavier edge reflecting the economic pressures and realities of rural life. ‘Heave Away’ brings a maritime flavour, while ‘The Battle Of Lundy’s Lane’ explores traditional folk territory, drawing on the country's historical past. ‘Iron Ribbon’, meanwhile, turns the story of the Canadian Pacific Railway into a thundering folk-rock statement.

It is this willingness to explore different musical traditions that gives the album much of its character. Adams does not abandon his identity as a rock songwriter, but instead finds ways to incorporate these influences without losing the melodic instincts and unmistakable vocal delivery that have made him such an enduring artist.

Some of the album's most affecting moments come when the subject matter becomes more serious.

‘Highway 16’ addresses the tragic disappearances and murders of Indigenous women and girls along Canada's so-called Highway of Tears, bringing a sobering dimension to a record that otherwise finds plenty of room for celebration. ‘The Bridge’ takes a similarly reflective approach to the 1958 Second Narrows Bridge disaster in Vancouver, while ‘A Handful Of Gold’ looks back at the harsh realities of the Klondike gold rush.

These are stories that might easily have been overlooked in a more conventional collection of patriotic songs. Adams instead gives them space, recognising that a country's identity is shaped as much by its tragedies and difficult histories as by its achievements.

The previously released ‘The Ballad Of Terry Fox’ is another highlight. Written in tribute to the Canadian national hero and his extraordinary 1980 Marathon of Hope, it is an uplifting folk-rock song that captures the determination and collective spirit behind Fox's journey. Built around bright acoustic guitars, steady drums and a memorable chorus, it avoids becoming an overly sombre tribute. Instead, it celebrates the human spirit and the legacy of someone whose story continues to resonate across generations.

‘51st State’ takes a more direct approach to contemporary Canadian identity. A punchy, full-blooded rock anthem, the song responds to the political rhetoric surrounding the suggestion that Canada could become America's 51st state. Adams delivers the message with humour and defiance, turning national pride into a familiar, guitar-powered singalong. It is one of the album's most immediate moments, and a reminder that his ability to write a big, uncomplicated rock chorus remains very much intact.

Perhaps the most politically pointed moment arrives with ‘Lake Ontario’. Taking aim at the suggestion that the Great Lake could be renamed Lake America, Adams turns what might initially seem like an unlikely subject for a rock song into a witty and pointed commentary on political distraction and national identity. Its rootsy, acoustic-driven arrangement gives the lyrics room to breathe, while its message is considerably sharper than the laid-back musical approach might initially suggest.

The song's closing sentiment is particularly effective: “Empires and regimes, dictators and kings, they all come and go. Lake Ontario is forever.”

It is a line that neatly captures the broader spirit of the record. Adams is interested in the things that endure, the history that cannot simply be rewritten and the people whose stories deserve to be remembered.

What makes How’s It Goin’ particularly engaging is the way these different subjects sit together. There is humour alongside heartbreak, celebration alongside criticism, and traditional musical influences alongside the sort of rock songwriting that has been Adams' trademark for decades. It could easily have become a collection of songs that simply celebrates Canada, but there is considerably more going on beneath the surface.

There is also something refreshing about hearing an established artist approach familiar songwriting territory from a different angle. Adams has nothing left to prove when it comes to writing arena-sized rock songs, yet How’s It Goin’ suggests that he remains interested in exploring new sounds and finding different stories to tell.

The album's greatest strength is perhaps its sense of perspective. Canada is not presented as some flawless national postcard, but as a country full of history, contradictions, humour, resilience and extraordinary human stories. Through that lens, Adams has created something that feels genuinely personal rather than simply an exercise in national pride.

For longtime fans, there is still plenty of the Bryan Adams they know and love. The choruses, the guitars and that unmistakable voice are all present. But there is a different kind of warmth running through this record, one that comes from the stories being told as much as the music itself.

How’s It Goin’ is a reminder that sometimes the most interesting direction an artist can take is to look back at where they came from. In doing so, Bryan Adams has delivered a record that feels both familiar and genuinely different, a musical journey across Canada that finds room for its heroes, its history, its challenges and its people.

And while the album is rooted firmly in one country, its themes of identity, belonging and the importance of remembering where you come from give it an appeal that reaches considerably further.

On How’s It Goin’, Bryan Adams trades some of the familiar arena-rock territory for a musical journey through Canada's heartland, finding fresh inspiration in its people, history and landscapes. It's a record that celebrates home without overlooking its scars, and proves that even after four decades, there's still new ground for him to explore.”

Author: Andrew Braithwaite

Andrew is the founder and chief editor of Music Talkers. He's also a keen music enthusiast and plays the guitar.