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There’s A Little Bit Of Magic… And Jenny Lewis has it.

By Kevin (@prufesuroak)

Beautiful, catchy, dreamy… those are just some of the uber cliche words one might describe this new album from the goddess that is Jenny Lewis, The Voyager, her third solo album released on July 29, 2014.

This album, (her first in 6 years) is damn good… it’s out of this world, it’s witchcraft. I make it a point to listen to every album I get straight through at least once, but for The Voyager I found the I actually listened to it straight through four times. The first being the advance playthrough on NPR a few days ago.

The album starts out with “Head Underwater”, this dreamy-poppy-80’s sounding, perfectly crafted concoction created with errthing  nice you could possibly use as an ingredient. This song has it all, a catchy chorus, a mysterious pre-chorus, a danceable beat, lyrics and one of her most beautifully sung vocals. The song takes us on a retrospective and personal trip with Jenny and it marks an end of a chapter in her life and starts another (it seems).

“Just One Of The Guys”, brings some of the things that Lewis has brought forth in her previous works, folk prose and melody and her pop sensibility. And you can see how those mix well in this song. It’s got the progression and vocal melody of a good ol’ folk song but the beat of a pop classic.

“Slippery Slope”, is another one of those songs that are reminiscent of her older work, this time back to Rilo Kiley. It could’ve been one of Rilo Kiley’s hits. “Late Bloomer” tells a story of a 3 way love affair that happened on a trip to Paris when the protagonist was 16.

“You Can’t Outrun ‘Em” has characteristics of that Laurel Canyon/Californian sound reminiscent of songs from The Eagles or Jackson Browne or later Stevie Nicks.

 

The title track “The Voyager” is a mellow ballad sung beautifully, accompanied by a simple strumming progression. The song sounds quite hopeful, singing about a Voyager and makes it sounds like it’s the sense of hope adventure in all of us.

 

The album was made with help from some amazing artists and those whom Jenny has worked with in the past.  Lou Barlow from Dinosaur Jr., the legendary Benmont Tench from Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, the Watson Twins and First Aid and produced by Ryan Adams.

The Voyager could very well be Jenny’s best solo work so far, it’s got some of her best solo tracks and will definitely be some of the biggest fan favorites.