Moving to a major label didn't affect
the Lemonheads' sound as much as the departure of
Ben Deily; without him,
Evan Dando was free to let his sensitive side run wild, which is exactly what he does on
Lovey.
Dando never completely abandons punk-pop on
Lovey, but he does balance it with excursions into jangle pop and country-rock, some of his best songwriting to date. By now, he has begun to develop a signature voice, a distinctly suburban and middle-class voice that embraces the mundane details of everyday life. That gives songs like "Stove" and "Lil' Seed" an off-kilter sensibility, which is made all the more appealing by his gift for simple hooks. Even though
Dando has made significant strides forward, the most affecting moment on the record remains his stark and very pretty cover of
Gram Parsons' "Brass Buttons."