Review of Come On Feel
From Vox January 1994
Vox's number 1 rock album of 1993
Following the success of It's A Shame About Ray, Evan Dando found time in a seemingly incessant touring schedule this year to assemble the same cast of players and producers and pull off the same trick twice. Come On... is a rampant mix of power pop and sweet ballads that reconfirm Dando's songwriting credentials. Juliana Hatfield pops up once more to lend her sweet tones on backing vocals and had a song dedicated to her for her trouble ("It's About Time"), while Belinda Carlisle and Rick James also got to join in the fun. The chiming chords of "Into Your Arms", written by former Hummingbird Robyn St Clare, gave him his biggest hit to date, but it was the anti gay-bashing lament "Big Gay Heart" with its knawing pedal steel from Burrito Sneaky Pete Kleinlow that stands out as the album's finest moment. If Dando can resist the temptation not to not get stoned Gram Parsons-style, then his star can only continue to rise.