Baby I'm Bored

Looks like those rumours of his demise were slightly premature. You can’t deny, though, that having had the world at his feet in the mid-nineties, Dando’s footing has stumbled somewhat ever since. The dreadful days of his various addictions behind him, the one time Lemonhead has been emerging blinking into the light of late, resulting in his debut solo album. The sound of the album is quintessential Dando, rambling and shambolic but full of charm – not unlike Badly Drawn Boy and Ryan Adams in places. Where in the past, however, there was material of the calibre of ‘My Drug Buddy’, ‘Confetti’ and ‘Outdoor Type’, there’s nothing really here to match those gems. Too many of the songs meander just a touch too much, as if the lack of a solid band has denied the project some badly needed focus. He’s definitely getting there though, with ‘The Same Thing’ and ‘All My Life’ displaying some of the old fire and emotion respectively. It’s a long way from the glories of It’s A Shame About Ray but even further from the washed up figure of a few years ago, which has to be encouraging. Not particularly boring baby, but not that amazing either.