Workaholic Ryan Adams released two projects on November 4th, 2003 and almost exactly one month later, he's releasing a third disc. Love Is Hell, Pt. 1 was the first in a set of EPs that were released by Adams and his label Lost Highway after they agreed to make the peppier Rock N' Roll (or "llor n' kcor") the "official" follow-up. The EPs are longish affairs (the first EP was longer than the Strokes' latest album) that sound more like full albums than many full-length releases do. The production from John Porter (The Smiths, Billy Bragg) is crisp on both affairs with Pt. 1 being somber and Pt. 2 being more somber, subdued and serious.

While many people have assumed that the EPs were designed as a spit of the original concept album, they really aren’t. There are sides from the album on both discs for sure however Adams always tinkers with his albums thus there are a few newer sides found on the albums. So in essence the pair of EPS is just collections of similarly themed tunes about all of the aspects of Love.

Each song on Love Is Hell, Pt. 2 depicts the many different forms love can take, good or bad. My Blue Manhattan is a short, acoustic love affair with the borough of Manhattan. If you don't listen closely, you'll think you're listening to a sad song about a heartbroken guy who just lost his girl. Please Do Not Let Me Go finds a man alone in a hotel room crying over his lost relationship lying to himself to keep from more despair (all of this done over a simple tangy acoustic melody). City Rain, City Streets has a deliciously familiar Todd Rundgren like melody to it but the lyrics are a lot tougher than anything Rundgren is most famous for. "Rain, Streets" finds Adams lamenting the loss of a woman who was "taking bullets for the team." She died and he cannot get over how bad he treated her when she was here. (I believe this song to be about the loss of his good friend Carrie Hamilton). I See Monsters has a simple but luscious acoustic based melody backed by a cello and violin. It's hard to really decipher what the song is really about but the melody and lyrical delivery keep it interesting.

English Girls Approximately sounds like it could be a hit song. It is something that would've fit in on Gold and is the type of masterpiece that feels somewhat out of place here (even if it does fit the whole love/despair theme). Close to six minutes long, the song finds love on only one side; "You said you didn't love me, it was right on time, I was just about to tell you but okay, alright, said you didn't want me, you didn't want a thing, English girls can be so mean..." Adams croons throughout the song. Thank You Louise is about a pretty woman who becomes a mother too young and with that choice continues to make bad choices like drug addiction and selling and in the end a tragedy happens to her family. It's just one more way that love can be "hell" albeit not the boyfriend-girlfriend kind. Hotel Chelsea Nights rivals "English Girls" for best track on the CD. Sounding gruff and strung-out, Adams sings about being tired of a place he used to love, the Chelsea section of New York, mainly because he lives too close to his ex-girlfriend. The song is bluesy and features some great gospel like vocal support from Julie Delgado and Debra Parson.

When played concurrently, the Love Is Hell set of EPs present the many different ways love can torture or adorn us. These albums aren't for the faint of heart and may in fact prove that Adams needs to seek counseling (as Paul so kindly suggested on his review of Pt. 1). The CDs also showcase an artist who is coming into his own as a multifaceted artist capable of making brilliant albums.





Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Going to Sleep