This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
For those who don’t spend their lives immersed in all things Ryan Adams, here’s the deal on Love is Hell:
As the story goes, it was originally meant to be Adams’ official followup to his 2001 CD Gold. Except his record company balked at the disc, which finds the former alt-country troubadour getting mopey with the help of Smiths producer John Porter. So they convinced him to record Rock N Roll instead, and agreed to release Love is Hell in two parts as a compromise. The first part came out back in November. The second part arrived a little before Christmas. When you put them together, you get an album that is the polar opposite of Rock N Roll, but every bit as powerful and enthralling. In fact, with its varied textures and styles — Pt. 2’s moods range from the Jackson Browne folk sensitivity of Afraid Not Scared to the John Lennonesque piano rasp of Avalanche — this 15-track love song to romance, loneliness and Adams’ beloved New York City may end up being the best album he almost never released.
