ADAMS AMAZES
. Ryan Adams never stops amazing me . . this is no exception. . . . This album is nothing short or great . . . and as always his lyrics are piercingly emotional. . . I love this album and love Ryan Adams.
Shouldn't y'all expect more?!!!
country fan. I am a huge alt. I love Wilco, Son Volt, etc. So I have some affection for Whiskytown, Ryan Adam's old band. They were good, but not pioneers like Farrar and Tweedy. Anyway, I also like good indie pop, but I am very picky. So, with these two interests in mind I having been researching Ryan Adams and decided Love Is Hell part 2 was my best bet. I just can't get into it. The song writing is bland and just does not hang with me. The production is sparse, but it still has that top 40 gloss. It's ironic, because Adams never gets played on top 40. Anyway, I agree with a previous reviewer that Adams needs some quality control. His other albums essentially suck. I do think he is capable of writing some 4 star stuff. If he would just pick his best tunes, stick with mimimalist warm production, and bring back Gillian Welch and David Rawlings to produce, we might get something good. Damn, I really want to get into this dude but to no avail. He is branded an alt. country bad boy, but he is nothing more than a top 40 wanna be who can't even write a song for that format. Too bad, Whiskytown sounded pretty good. Now people with all your 5 star reviews, shouldn't you expect more from music. Quit lapping up everything some says is cool. Why do we put up with all this crappy songwriting and production and force ourselves into believing we have some quality. Quality left in 1980, but we can bring it back. Rise up! Expect more!.
Stick With The Domestic Version
Just a quick review to say that, if you're a Ryan Adams completist and are thinking about seeking out this now out of print version of the Pt 2 EP with 2 bonus tracks. . . . well, don't bother. The two extra tracks are both not particularly good, in fact they're downright ordinary. On top of that, they don't fit with the tone and character of the rest of the songs at all - they just sound as if they've been tacked on the end, which they have. Buy the domestic version by all means but don't waste you're money on this import.
A Very Talented Man
It seems ridiculous that Adams' record company was not willing to put the Love Is Hell albums out. Love is Hell Part 2 is astonishing.
The album emanates a quiet, late night with a bottle of wine and a candle. The beautiful melodies are full of sincere thought and emotion.
English Girls Approximately is the standout track but nothing on this album lets you down. Excellent stuff.
The whole thing
Recorded as the official follow-up to 2001's brilliant Gold, then jettisoned by his record company, Lost Highway, Adams considers this his truest artistic statement, and that seems like a fair self-assessment. You can't just review half of this full album, which is now available in one piece. It's a beautifully written album, and Adams sings like he means every word.
The title track is rollicking fun, followed by a cover of "Wonderwall" that stakes a claim for Adams as its new owner, even in the eyes of its writer, Noel Gallagher of Oasis. There's a splendid and wistful sadness in "This House is Not For Sale," a song that's actually about ghosts in their old house-sounds weird, but it really works. Adams can carry off an up-tempo tune as well, bringing Part 1 nearly to a close with "World War 24. " The final song, "Avalanche," fades out beautifully, wrapping up the first EP so that it would stand well on its own as an eight-song album.
Instead, the second EP continues the mood of the first, though it is clearly a different side of the same record. (The full album has been issued on vinyl, which is what qualified it to be considered as a single entity. ) With "Please Do Not Let Me Go" we discover the real impetus for such a sad work-the death of a close friend. This vein of tribute-thought continues on "City Rain, City Streets," tumbles into "I See Monsters," and completes a three-four-five punch on "English Girls Approximately. " The latter lifts the mood musically just in time, jangling with the flair Adams displayed on Gold, but even here the lyrics are sad, as the girl Adams loves says she doesn't love him. Overall, Love is Hell is a remarkable album. It changes setting halfway through-EP 1 seems to "take place" mostly in a rural setting, while EP 2 is more urban-but it holds together as one record. Its depth of emotion and the variety of tempo and instrumentation choices Adams makes to surround his weighty material make it worth having as a whole. It would be tough to divide it, in any case: the best material on each EP is sandwiched in its center, giving the overall album a good balance. Turns out you can be prolific and make coherent albums. May other artists take note.
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