Ryan Adams - 'Love Is Hell' (Lost Highway)
3/5
By: Matt Tomiak
Even without the press-release's allusion to Jeff Buckley's 'Grace', there could be little doubt that the scope of 'Love Is Hell' would prove at all restricted. Although it finds him in relatively laid-back mode, this is an album of both grandiose artistry and emotionally exposed lyrical themes.
Adams' music often remains uncommonly intimate and vulnerable for one so established. But he's a contrary old bugger, too. For every 'Afraid Not Scared', very possibly the finest track here with its candid confessions ('I'm really dying in here/And I'm afraid, no I'm scared), classically elaborate arrangement and little-boy-lost vocals a la Rufus Wainwright, it's the consummate Ryan Adams track. But in spite of all this agonising, soul-baring introspection, Adams casually shrugs off the demons of 2001's heartbreak opus 'Gold' with an offhand 'Whatever, oh well, love is hell.'
Interest in this album will no doubt be heightened due to the inclusion of Adams' much-vaunted cover of 'Wonderwall'. And whilst it's true that he doesn't do anything revolutionary with it, it does serve to remind us of Noel Gallagher's songwriting genius and provide a chance to re-assess some of the most cryptic, yet intimate rock lyrics ever penned. Still, not sure about the decision to release it as a single with the likes of 'Will Anyone Take Me Home?' and 'Manhattan' knocking around.
But that's Ryan for you. Both sparse and intimate, profound and throwaway, content and demanding, it's an album of contrast and contradictions. As he articulates on the title-track: 'I could be serious, but I am just kidding around'. Yep, on 'Love Is Hell', The Adams enigma continues unabated.
Artists in this article: Ryan Adams & The Cardinals, Ryan Adams
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