Hotel Lights: Hotel Lights (Bar None)

So what is the former drummer of a guitar-less band to do after his old band breaks up? For ex-Ben Folds Five skinsman, Darren Jessee, the answer would be to form a soft-rock four-piece and write utterly sad songs of love, leaving, loss, and despair. “Small Town Shit” showcases somber piano and a touching orchestral arrangement, while “Miles Behind Me” may be one of the most heart-wrenching songs about leaving and moving on that you’ll hear this year. Jesse proves that he is quite adept at this sort of sentiment, but the problem with Hotel Lights is its lack of diversity. The entire album floats along at lullaby speed (aside from the mid-tempo “Marvelous Truth”), with themes that vary from beautifully sorrowful to gouge-your-eyes-out depressing. Hotel Lights is an album for long nights of drinking and wondering what could have been. (www.hotellights.net) 6 Blips out of 10 By Frank Valish