Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue
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CD Details
Artist: Jenny LewisEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
CD Release Date: 2008-09-23
Music Label: Warner Bros.
Soundtracks:
- Black Sand
- Pretty Bird
- The Next Messiah
- Bad Man's World
- Acid Tongue
- See Fernando
- Godspeed
- Carpetbaggers
- Trying My Best to Love You
- Jack Killed Mom
- Sing a Song for Them
Music reviews of Acid Tongue
Music Review: A good buzz ...
Rating: 4 Stars
"I wear a ponytail like a waterfall / Loudspeaker cause a landslide / I got a room key and a Johnny / A good buzz, feelin' alright," sings Jenny Lewis on the swingin' "See Fernando," the immediate standout track from her second solo album, Acid Tongue. Those rhythmic one-liners, penned while touring for her breakout debut, 2006's Rabbit Fur Coat, say an awful lot about the Rilo Kiley front woman. She's somewhat of a girly girl; she likes rock n' roll and isn't afraid of its time-tested clichés; she's got a man (singer/songwriter Johnathan Rice) and wont flinch at the chance to tease her listeners about closed doors; and she likes to shamelessly knock a few back whenever possible. Whether that's the real Lewis or not hardly matters, it's her stage and studio persona, and it - along with her gift-from-heaven voice - has brought her a long way in the last five years.
Rabbit Fur Coat put the Lewis namesake on the map, elevating her from her longtime standing as the fire-haired indie-rock darling who fronts Rilo Kiley to the level of respected adult solo artist who gets consistent plan on NPR. It must be said that using the term "solo," however, has never felt right with Lewis. Rabbit Fur Coat not only prominently featured two backing vocalists (those creepy Watson Twin gals) on every song, but also M. Ward, Mike Mogis, Rice, Conor Oberst, Ben Gibbard, Jason Boesel and many others. Likewise, Acid Tongue features a cast of heavy hitters, including Elvis Costello, Rice, Paz Lenchantin, Ward, Zooey Deschanel, Chris Robinson, Benji Hughes, Farmer Dave Scher and, well, many others. But that's okay; nothing wrong with calling in the pros. The personality Lewis put into both her writing and vocal style prevail over all sidenotes on Acid Tongue more than ever, positioning the still-budding lyricist at the center of the sound, loud and pretty, the lovechild of Dusty Springfield, J.J. Cale and The Rolling Stones' Let It Bleed. Look at those influences; the word here, clearly, is "timeless."
A very even mix of instantly hummable ballads, country rockers and mid-tempo pop tunes fill Acid Tongue's 11-song tracklist, kicking off with "Black Sand," a piano-laced ballad that gets right to it, feeling like a fragile voiced hook from beginning to end. The arrangement here, and on all of the album's ballads, is simple, subtle and organic - likely recorded live-in-studio (or at least made to sound as such). Lewis' voice is at the center ... but we'll stop saying that, her voice is always at the center, even on all those great Rilo Kiley records. Next up is "Pretty Bird," a mid-tempo blue-eyed soul tune that makes for a slow start to this dirt road acid trip. No worries, though, a little three-part tune called "The Next Messiah" hits next. This song is, without doubt, the hardest Lewis and her crew have yet worked together in the studio. Clocking in at nearly nine minutes and featuring 11 musicians and multiple vocalists, the song is made epic from the intro, featuring a swaggering rhythm section and Lewis strutting her stuff over loud, sexy guitar riffs and a star-studded chorus of singers with half of Lewis' vocal chops. Great in concept, "The Next Messiah" is hardly the kind of song that anyone is ever going to skip directly to or put on a mixtape. Mostly, this song was made for three reasons: 1) fun in the studio with hip musician friends; 2) something different, something ambitious; 3) made for the stage and buzzed crowds. It's a good tune, surely, but probably would've been better suited as the final cut on the album.
The abovementioned "See Fernando" is the hands down overall highlight here (and one of the best songs of the year), but the record's title track, "Godspeed" and "Sing a Song For Them" make for some of Lewis' very best work yet, ranking this a commendable follow-up to her much loved debut. The songs - again, all taking the timeless-or-bust route - all have their own personality and the musicianship here is better than on said debut. The cohesiveness and instant accessibility of Rabbit Fur Coat, however, isn't here; Acid Tongue is a sultry soul-meets-folk-rock album that comes off like more of a dusty 60s collection of 7" singles than, say, a Laura Nyro front-to-back experience. All this means for the listener is that a little more time and fortitude is needed to get to know this stellar set of organic folk-rock. Hardly a problem when you have an angel-voiced country heart singing about room keys and lying about acid trips and murders over always solid, always rustic arrangements. Here it is, the sound of Fall 2008. (Greg Locke)
Description of Acid Tongue
Femme fatale Jenny Lewis has never sounded so passionate and her songs never so hard-hitting and acerbic as on her aptly titled solo disk, Acid Tongue. The album follows 2006's Rabbit Fur Coat (which Spin named among the best albums of that year) and a series of acclaimed albums with indie rock fave Rilo Kiley. Featuring collaborations with A Band Called She & Him and guest appearances by Elvis Costello and Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes, Acid Tongue proves to be wicked good.Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins took their cues from legendary singer/songwriter Lauro Nyro in crafting the intimate, gospel-country Rabbit Fur Coat. The all-star Acid Tongue represents something bigger and darker. Without abandoning her roots, Rilo Kiley's front woman adds more soul and jazz weaponry to her musical arsenal, culminating in a record that combines the folky introspection of Joni Mitchell, circa Court and Spark, with the bluesy rock of the Rolling Stones, circa Sticky Fingers, i.e. slide guitar, Hammond B3 organ, and funk-oriented bass (Lewis contributes piano, vibraphone, and guitar). Even her voice sounds richer; deeper and smokier on some songs, like the noirish, nine-minute medley "The Next Messiah," and lighter and brighter on others, like the soaring "Black Sand" and yearning, Bowie-ish "Trying My Best to Love You." Recorded live to tape, the 11 tracks come hurtling out of the speakers like Wild Horses. Duet partners and backing vocalists include Jonathan Rice, Chris Robinson, and Lewis super-fan, Elvis Costello. Frequent collaborator M. Ward drops by to add acoustic licks to the slinky "Pretty Bird." With this second album, Lewis strikes a masterful balance between tough sounds and tender sentiments. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
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