The Lemonheads - Hotel Sessions (Hall of Records)

They say that acoustic demos are the last vestiges of the scoundrel, and this is a collection of songs recorded on tour, and would become the bulk of The Lemonheads‘ excellent but underrated Come On Feel The Lemonheads. Leader Evan Dando has always had a way with an acoustic guitar, singing with a passion that makes one forget about the vapid, superficial popstar elements that cursed him in his heyday. Hotel Sessions is a collection of, well, demos recorded in hotel rooms. Several of the songs here are classics, including “Big Gay Heart,” “Great Big No,” and “Into Your Arms,” while some of the deeper album cuts like “Being Around” and “Paid to Smile” simply shine in these heartfelt moments. The tape hiss is an integral part of the experience, and his chatter and arrangement description only add to the man’s natural charm. Personal favorite? “I’ll Do It Anyway,” the song he dismisses as “a lame-ass song” that he wrote for Belinda Carslile, which then turns out to be one of the most touching, beautiful songs here. On one level, this is more for the collector, but on another, this is Dando in his prime, doing what he does best—singing pretty songs.