The new album from Jenny Lewis, On The Line, is a bold leap into another direction for the former lead singer of Rilo Kiley. And while lots here should feel familiar to anyone who's been following Lewis' solo career, there's loads more that suggests a wholesale embrace of big pop forms, and a decidedly retro kind of vibe. A record that might take a few listens to click for the more cynical long-time fans of Jenny Lewis, it's also her most directly emotional release so far.
Opener "Heads Gonna Roll" channels Fleetwood Mac even as it rides in on an undercurrent of muted rage, while "Wasted Youth" is Bobbie Gentry updated for the 21st century. At times here on On The Line, Lewis is clearly channeling Gentry as well as Dusty Springfield, and while that benefits "Red Bull and Hennessy", other numbers succeed through more original means. "Do Si Do" and "Little White Dove" are fairly interesting bits of the kind of thing Stevie Nicks attempted some decades ago, with a formidable line-up of players behind Lewis here (Jason Falkner, Beck, Ringo Starr, Jim Keltner). At her best here on On The Line, Jenny Lewis serves up a nice mix of what we'd have once called torch songs and AOR pop, the title cut and "Rabbit Hole", respectively. On The Line is sort of an an experiment that largely paid off. Fans of Lewis will find things to love here, even if the shift in the sort of material she's pursuing is, at times, dramatic.
On The Line is out now on Warner Brothers.
More details on Jenny Lewis via the official website.
[Photo: Ground Control Touring]