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Jonathan Rice

JENNY LEWIS: THE VOYAGER

(WARNER BROTHERS RECORDS; 2014)

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Jenny Lewis literally grew up in front of America. She was only nine years old when she made her first television appearance (in the TV movie, SUBURBAN BEAT). The first thing I ever saw her in was the 1989 big-budget Shelley Long (of CHEERS fame) comedy, TROOP BEVERLY HILLS; it wasn’t a huge part for Jenny, but it was obvious that she had that something special… even at 13 years old. As she got older, she was showing up less on the screen, slowly transitioning to a career in music. In 1998, she formed Rilo Kiley, a band who were destined to become indie darlings. She released an album with the Watson Twins in 2006 and her first true solo album, ACID TONGUE, in 2008. After the release of I’M HAVING FUN NOW, an album recorded with her boyfriend, Jonathan Rice, Jenny’s life headed into a rather drastic downward spiral. Her father passed away at the end of 2010 and Rilo Kiley broke up a few months later. These two events led to intense bouts of insomnia and emotional upheaval. As a coping mechanism, Jenny began writing again. Now, almost three years later, we finally have THE VOYAGER, a cathartic, thought-provoking collection that, through the shimmering sound, a very vulnerable soul is laid bare.

Jenny Lewis (photo credit: AUTUMN DE WILDE)
Jenny Lewis (photo credit: AUTUMN DE WILDE)

THE VOYAGER is produced, primarily, by Ryan Adams, it’s the team of Lewis and Rice who helm the folk/dance opener, “Head Underwater.” The song has a certain ebb and flow and the sparkling production perfectly highlights Jenny’s vocals. “She’s Not Me” is sort of an ’80s pop/R and B thing that would have demanded a video which would have been placed in heavy rotation on the MTV. Even though the tune has a smooth and easy feel (no doubt like the other woman in the song), it’s basically a smackdown by a scorned lover. Speaking of videos, “Just One of the Guys” (check it out below) features Jenny and a bunch of her friends (including Anne Hathaway, Kristin Stewart and Brie Larson) playing dress up and trying to mimic typical macho men; obviously, they don’t even come close but, then, maybe that’s the whole point. By this point of the album, a certain thematic thread seems to developing: Jenny Lewis, now heading toward 40 (geez… how old does that make YOU feel?), is starting to hear the ticking of her biological and reproductive clock. Amongst the psuedo-psychedelic country vibe of the Beck Hansen-produced song are the lyrics, “There’s only one difference between you and me/When I look at myself, all I can see/I’m just another lady without a baby.”

A different kind of psychedelia (“A slippery slope/Mushrooms and coke”) seems to drive the next track, “Slippery Slopes.” The guitar has an almost metal feel which offers an odd juxtaposition with Lewis’ silky smooth voice. “Late Bloomer” is a rockin’ country thing with lyrical allusions to Lou Reed’s “Walk On the Wild Side,” without the cross-dressing and transgender references (as far as I can tell, anyway). The third and final non-Ryan Adams produced (it’s another by Jenny and Johnny) song, “You Can’t Outrun ’em,” is a weird, watery sounding piece with bizarre Gothic country overtones.

Jenny Lewis (photo credit: AUTUMN DE WILDE)
Jenny Lewis (photo credit: AUTUMN DE WILDE)

The New You” is quiet little rocker with lyrics that conjure images of a person trying to find themselves or, worse, a person in complete denial regarding their own identity. The tune segues into “Aloha and the Three Johns,” a song with an intriguing bass line, a shimmering guitar and an unreasoning disdain for Hawaiian songs. Jenny’s voice is particularly crisp and punchy on the track, another one of those retrospective things about relationships and fear of commitment. The intro to “Love U Forever” features a take on one of the greatest riffs of all time: That infamous Dave Davies (and, yes, it IS Dave, not Jimmy Page… how do I know? Well, Dave once told me, “Don’t you think that if I could blame Jimmy for that piece of crap, I would? It was me. All me.”) guitar signature from “You Really Got Me” actually repeats throughout the song, generally as a bass riff. The tune also features a great vocal melody line, as well. It may be my favorite track on the record. “The Voyager” closes the album. It’s a rather dreamy thing about getting to the place you want/need to be in your life (no geography involved) with minimal instrumentation. It’s gauzy feel is the perfect album closer. I guess misery begets beauty, but I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. Even if it did result in another record like THE VOYAGER.