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On Disc

Jenny Lewis

BY Jordan Timm  

How you’ll feel about the Rilo Kiley singer’s second solo bow can be measured to some degree by whether you’ve ever called a piece of music “tasteful” and meant it pejoratively. Lewis’ voice channels some of the grande dames of Nashville’s past, and the 11 tracks collected here, from country ballads to raucous stomp-alongs, recall the indie icon’s twangy roots. Guest turns are offered by Elvis Costello and She & Him. The quality of the recording is extraordinary, warm and full. And it’s all utterly, completely boring. Everything’s so neat and tidy, so smooth and clean that there’s nothing to grab hold of in this music. And Lewis, though she’s singing about drugs and abuse and one-night stands, sounds curiously absent from her own songs. It’s pleasant background music, very tasteful — but nothing more.

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