Ryan Adams

While Adams' debut, Heartbraker, offered inspired melancholic musings, the songs here are more radio savvy -- not so much in terms of their production, but more in that Adams seems to have taken less risks in writing them. Heartbraker sang a sad soundtrack, much like Love Is Hell Part 1. Part 2, however, could liven up the dullest dinner party.

Adams shows he can still do gentle, understated tunes somewhere inside the mind of Ryan
Adams, far away from the twitchy extroversion he's currently selling via his new album,
Rock N Roll, a humble troubadour still writes little songs. They're not all stunners -- some of
the character sketches on his second Love Is Hell EP (the first was released in November)
are bona fide corn, such as the maudlin McCartney-esque "Thank You Louise." B... More >