AR: Acid Tongue

Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue (2008)

Jenny Lewis is the siren darling of the indie band Rilo Kiley, and Acid Tongue is her second solo effort in which she takes a decided turn for the smoky, alt-country late night. She's another beautiful-voiced songstress in the vein of Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, and Neko Case, and maybe has a little more bitter twang in her speak-singing than those artists. The songs within are the output of star-studded set of jam sessions (Elvis Costello, She & Him, etc.), and they carry a loose, energetic vibe even in their slow moments. The disc is in many ways a throwback - a lot of the sound here is located in old-school country, girl-group pop, barroom stomps, soul and a bit of gospel. The finished product is something entirely classic sounding if not entirely original; that lack of risk-taking / retreading of worn ground is really the only complaint I can muster about this otherwise top-to-bottom solid disc (though I should admit that it does give off the impression of something largely derivative). She pulls off all these genres exceedingly well as the consummate professional and has created a thoroughly listenable sophomore effort.

Highlights abound - "Pretty Bird" is a sultry, dark number over a dirty electric and a chunky guitar, "Next Messiah" is a near nine-minute multi-section country rocker, "Bad Man's World" is a straight-up great, ethereal soul number. The title track displays the nifty trick of reversing the usual gospel combo by having a female lead over a swelling male chorus; it's a slow, simple number that carries a singer-songwriter narrative about LSD. "Trying My Best to Love You" is a gorgeous ballad over strings that about halfway through morphs into a Spector-era girl group spin-off. "Jack Killed Mom" is an exciting Oedipal rocker... and I'll just leave it at that. There really are no down moments here - even the songs I'm leaving out are all uniformly enjoyable - though I'm pressed to admit that nothing jumps off the disc all that much either.

This album got a fair amount of press in 2008, and I'm struggling to figure out if it was deserved. What I'm hearing is a thoroughly stout collection of tunes that isn't exactly making me call up my cousin Marvin. But it is top-to-bottom good, a big concern of mine, and I've got no doubt you'll enjoy it.

Status: Recommended (solid)
Nyet's Fave: "Bad Man's World" (though it's a really close call with three other tracks)