Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue

Wed 15th Oct, 2008 in Music Reviews

Acid Tongue sees Jenny Lewis taking another break from her day job as frontwoman of Rilo Kiley to deliver another solo album. It comes three years after her solo debut with The Watson Twins, Rabbit Fur Coat, and only a year after Rilo Kiley’s fifth album Under The Blacklight.

From the cheeky acid tab artwork to the cardboard Polaroids that substitute for a booklet, the album has a homespun feel which the sound and style further engender. There’s a strong 1970s influence in the sound whether it’s the nine-minute bluesy guitar funk of The Next Messiah or the folky sing-a-long of the title track; which demonstrates the best quality about the album, its flock of backing singers and collaborators.

Considering the consistency of her releases, it’s no great surprise that Lewis’ stock has risen in the last couple of years. While she wasn’t without her pulling power before (sees her cover of Travelling Wilburys’ Handle Me With Care with Benjamin Gibbard and Conor Oberst); here’s she’s really flaunting it. The Watson Twins may be gone, but their rich harmonies remain in the form of a smattering of indie darlings across each track – boyfriend Jonathan Rice, She & Him’s M.Ward and Zooey Deschanel to name just a few. The biggest name is obviously Elvis Costello who’s featured on the rough and ready Carpetbaggers, but all these celebrity pals aren’t there to overshadow the main show, they’re merely a support.

The spotlight here is well and truly on Lewis, whose songwriting and arranging abilities have matured considerably but still sees her solo work as an opportunity to let her hair down a little. How else do you explain the crazy narrative-driven rock-a-billy of Jack Killed Mom or See Fernando’s raucous country rock complete with flamenco ending?

This doesn’t mean that Lewis is afraid to show her softer side either. Opening cut Black Sand is a plaintive piano ballad while Godspeed has a slight touch of The Pretenders’ I’ll Stand By You and like Chrissie Hynde, Jenny Lewis is able to growl as well as croon convincingly.

The album is not as polished in production or scale as Rilo Kiley’s main output and this is only an issue because Acid Tongue leaves a question mark hanging over whether Lewis will maintain her solo work alongside Rilo Kiley, or leave the latter for focusing on the former. After all fellow band mates Pierre De Reeder and Jason Boesel chipped in with artwork and drums respectively.

Either way Lewis’ second album can only galvanize her status as a seriously talented songstress of rock, without compromising her ability to just have a good time making music. This earns 3.5 acid tabs out of 5.