Jenny Lewis

Acid Tongue finds Lewis ditching the first-lady-of-country persona she unleashed on Rabbit Fur Coat. That's for the best; the Rilo Kiley front woman lacks the skill set to be the next Loretta Lynn. This time around she sounds more inspired by Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac and mid-'80s roots rock a la Lone Justice, wisely removing her elfin voice from the lead role and burying it in raucous honky tonk backbeats, monolithic twang and goopy pop production. Lewis is now a pop singer, not a balladeer.

This Rilo Kiley frontwoman is everything a mother could want in a daughter: She's bright,
talented — and ready to slice 'n' dice anyone who's done Mom wrong. "In your honor, I'm
going to cut that man in half," she wails in "Jack Killed Mom," an enigmatic domestic fable
that segues from chugging rock to a revival-tent rave-up. Lewis is indie rock's most
sharp-elbowed songwriter, a crafter of taut meditations on love, sex and politics... More >