Although
Maggie Estep's poetry, prose and songs lose some power when they are not seen live,
Love Is a Dog from Hell is a more effective album than her debut, No More Mister Nice Girl.
Estep sounds more comfortable in the studio than before, and the musical backdrops are a little sharper. Still, no one listens to
Estep for music -- they want to hear her words, and they are stellar, capturing her acidic wit at its biting best. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine