CD of The Week

Longtime staff favorite Jenny Lewis releases her third solo album this week, The Voyager. It is the first new music from the former Rilo Kiley frontwoman since her excellent 2010 collaboration with boyfriend Jonathan Rice as Jenny and Johnny. The Voyager further cements Lewis as one of the sharpest songwriters of her generation, with another round of compelling storytelling and song craft.

All of Lewis’ solo work has been heavy on collaboration (remember that 2006’sRabbit Fur Coat was officially credited to Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins) and The Voyager is no exception. She worked with Rice on a number of songs, while Ryan Adams and Mike Viola co-produced more than half the album at Adams’ PAX-AM Studio in California.

Speaking of the Golden State, Lewis is a California girl through and through and The Voyager feels infused with that West Coast vibe more than any of her previous releases. Opener “Head Underwater” touches on that ‘80s Fleetwood Mac sound that HAIM were all over last year (though to be fair, Rilo Kiley was on that path back on Under The Blacklight). “She’s Not Me” is one of Lewis’ post-relationship story-songs a la More Adventurous. Lead single “Just One Of The Guys” (the lone track produced by Beck, who is also on backing vocals) manages to be both funny and heartbreaking at the same time

“Late Bloomer” is the centerpiece of the record, a quasi-autobiographical tale about hitting the road as a teenager, growing up and getting into adult situations along the way, set to a jangling tune and just the right amount of emotional gravitas in the harmonies. In fact, Lewis’ voice sounds incredible throughout the record, especially on the gorgeous, album-closing title track. “Aloha & The Three Johns” tells the tale of a relationship in trouble while on vacation, chockfull of attention to details. The flip side to all these troubled relationships is the romantic “Love U Forever,” though it does have a bit of darkness around the edges as well.

The Voyager isn’t as hooky as the Jenny and Johnny album or as diverse as her previous solo albums but it is another powerful, fascinating trip through the So Cal world of Jenny Lewis and the fascinating-yet-damaged characters who reside there.