There are many words to describe Lou Reed's new album, The Raven.

Grandiose? Yep.

Ambitious? Absolutely.

Intriguing? No doubt.

Strange? Oh yeah.

Good? Well, that depends.

The Raven is based on POEtry, a stage play that Reed co-wrote on the life and works of Edgar Allan Poe. The album is available in both single- and double-disc versions. The single disc focuses mainly on songs, while the double contains both the songs and more spoken-word poetry pieces.

While the two discs combined are more than two hours long, it still seems more worthwhile than the slimmer alternative. After all, what's the point in buying a concept album without getting the entire concept?

Although the opening disc moves very slowly and has its share of bumps and drags, some moments still stand out. Willem Dafoe's rendering of "The Raven" alone makes the first disc worthy of a spin. And Antony's vocals on a new take of the Reed standard "Perfect Day" are creepy enough to go along with Poe's work.

Sometimes though, the tracks that spring from this concept are just ridiculous and inane. While the interesting "Overture" gets the listener geared up for what's to come, it leads into some rather drab monologues that eventually dissolve into Reed's indescribably stupid "Edgar Allan Poe."

"These are the stories of Edgar Allan Poe, not exactly the boy next door," Reed sings. Gee, thanks Lou. I had no idea.

The second disc is much stronger as a whole. Although less than half of the cuts on the opener hit the mark, the latter disc manages to bring the overall batting average up near .500.

Perhaps the album's high point comes in the form of "The Tell-Tale Heart" performed primarily by Dafoe and Steve Buscemi. The tale is split into two parts that bookend "Blind Rage," probably Reed's best song here.

"The Tell-Tale Heart" perfectly showcases how Reed was able to get actors with exceedingly interesting voices to read for the album. If it were any other voices, Poe's work might not spring to life quite as frighteningly.

Other highlights of the second disc include David Bowie's vocals on "Hop Frog" and Ornette Coleman's mind-blowing saxophone work on "Guilty." Coleman's work in particular leaps off of the album and dances through the listener's ear.

Thankfully Reed is able to salvage what starts out rather poorly. At times great and at others worthless, The Raven seems to be right down the middle for a man who has provided some of rock's best and worst moments.

This may not be Transformer, but at least it's not Metal Machine Music.