Review of Baby I'm Bored
From Music Misfits 2003
I like Evan Dando. I always have.
It doesn't matter that he was the Tiger Beat pinup boy of the 90's (go ahead
and insert your favorite "Cary's gay" joke here). The fact is that
even though he got that particular albatross hung around his neck, the guy
has a damn good way with a song. I don't think there are too many albums out
there that are as consistently good as The Lemonheads - "It's A Shame
About Ray". I also don't think that there are many songs from the 1990's
as perfectly written as "Paid To Smile" or as purely singable as
"Rest Assured" from 1993's "Come On Feel The Lemonheads".
That being said, I approached this album with much the same attitude as a
passerby rubbernecking at a fatal car crash. It's no secret that while Dando
may have been a pretty boy, he was also one crack-smoking, booze-swilling
hellion when the cameras weren't on him and it resulted in one semi-mess of
an album (1996's "Car Button Cloth") and a seven year period where
no one seemed to really know where he was or what he was doing. He toyed around
with superstar bands (The Virgins with Ryan Adams, James Iha and Melissa Auf
Der Maur), old friends (Blake Babies) and even pulled off a couple of acoustic
shows here and there, one of which was released as a live disc in the UK and
resulted in the rumor that he had spent a year working monitors for Enya.
Still, the reviews of the live shows were mixed at best and the outlook for
any future comeback for Mr. Dando looked pretty bleak.
I'm not about to tell you that Evan Dando's "Baby I'm Bored", his
first solo album and the first official recording from him since 1996 is a
return to form. I'm also not going to tell you that this is Dando at his drug
and drink free best. I've actually got my doubts about his sobriety, seeing
as to how he keeps appearing with drinks in his hands after his recent solo
shows.
I will say, however, that this is a pretty damn good album and if it were
by anyone other than Evan Dando, I'd be recommending it to friends all the
time. The fact is, were this a debut it would be pretty promising. With so
much good music under his belt though, what at first sounds surprisingly good
ends up falling flat more often than not.
It's not that there aren't some good songs on here. "It Looks Like You"
is a good throwback to the Ghost of Dando Past with a memorable chorus and
a laid back country-pop arrangement. "Repeat" kicks the disc off
with a fantastic slacker rock feel right out of his best 90's work and "My
Idea" is Dando almost back to form lyrically with him asking his new
ex-girlfriend if they can pretend the breakup was his idea.
The problem is there are no GREAT songs on here. Even 1996's "Car Button
Cloth" had "If I Could Talk I'd Tell You" but this album has
absolutely nothing that you'll walk away singing under your breath. Songs
like "Rancho Sante Fe", "Hard Drive" and "In The
Grass All Wine Colored" work but don't make you reach for the repeat
button and overall, when the disc is finished, it just leaves you feeling
like something's missing… and that's the overall problem.
I remember when "It's a Shame About Ray" came out. I picked it up
and threw it in the cassette deck of my Chevy Blazer before taking a trip
into Atlanta to visit friends. It didn't come out of that cassette player
for weeks and to this day I still know all the words to all the songs in the
exact order that they appear on the disc. While it's great to hear Evan Dando's
voice again, I doubt I'll be throwing this one back in the CD player anytime
soon.
For diehard fans it's a must have, for everyone else, listen before you buy…
and for all you non-believers, go find "It's A Shame About Ray"
and feel the power move through you.
Can I get an "Amen!"