The story line on Rabbit Fur Coat is this: for her first venture outside of celebrated indie sensations Rilo Kiley, singer/songwriter Jenny Lewis has made a "white soul" album, along the lines of Dusty Springfield or Laura Nyro. Which is why, of course, she brought in Kentucky duo the Watson Twins to provide luegrass harmonies for the entire record. Which is to say that Rabbit Fur Coat doesn't quite live up to its billing -- especially when compared to The Greatest, Cat Power's genuine white-soul album that hit the stores the week after Lewis' solo affair. What Rabbit Fur Coat brings to mind is not Laura Nyro but, perhaps inevitably, Neko Case and the stark, arty Americana intimacy of her breakthrough, Furnace Room Lullaby. Not that Lewis has Case's throaty voice or commanding presence -- she can growl and slide into notes, but at her core she has a small, fragile voice, one that lends this muted set of songs intimacy, even if it also brings them to the verge of cutsiness. And that's not a word that should be associated with Rabbit Fur Coat, an album that's designed to be a comforting late-night confessional, from rousing stompers like "The Big Guns" through the bluesy crawl of "Rise Up With Fists" to bittersweet ruminations like the seemingly autobiographical title track and the cheerful, gangs-all-here singalong to the Traveling Wilburys "Handle With Care." Musically, this hits the mark -- not only does it return Lewis to the country leanings of Rilo Kiley's first album, it feels suspended in time and space, the perfect soundtrack to 2 A.M. But the spareness of its sound also puts undue emphasis on her writing, and while she can structure a song, she tends to overwork her lyrics, cramming too many words into a phrase and moralizing like a college sophomore ("Still they're dying on the dark continent/it's been happening long enough to mention it" or "Are you really that pure sir?/I thought I saw you in Vegas/it was not pretty/but she was," where the Watson Twins helpfully respond with "not your wife"). At her best, her songs have a grace and flow that obscure these flaws -- such as on "Happy," whose melody and attitude are not all that far removed from her most prominent booster in ock's old guard, Elvis Costello -- and -- even if they're still quite prominent upon any close listen. And since Rabbit Fur Coat is an album that's designed for close listening, that's a bit of a problem, but as a pure sonic experience, it's a moody, atmospheric listen that never gets quite as melancholy as it suggests and holds together better than any Rilo Kiley album to date.
So I have recently discovered some very wonderful things and I'd love to share them with you. I have fallen in love with Jenny Lewis for one thing. She has a pure and very powerful voice that just shakes me to the very core. Her album with the Watson Twins is out of this world. I know that I'm a little late in discovering this album because it did come out over two years ago... but luckily ...
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Continuing the trend of smart babes playing blue-eyed soul/Americana music, Jenny Lewis' 'Melt Your Heart' is just one of the great songs on her haunting Rabbit Fur Coat. And here's a full concert at D.C.'s 9:30 Clubhttp://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6254742
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Jenny Lewis...man, the girl is really something. She KILLS in this performance from the Conan O'Brien show last week. (It's good enough to rid the troubled mind of Crap Your Pants Say Yuck!) So: you click - you watch - you love!
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'Twas country music week on American Idol, or the ushering in of the sure Apocalypse. In what will probably be a weekly feature, here are two suggestiongs for what should have been presented to the audience.First of, we have Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins. Though not traditionally known as country music, this is country, and it is sweet. If you need proof, just check out the Hee Haw video.And...
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So I have recently discovered some very wonderful things and I'd love to share them with you. I have fallen in love with Jenny Lewis for one thing. She has a pure and very powerful voice that just shakes me to the very core. Her album with the Watson Twins is out of this world. I know that I'm a little late in discovering this album because it did come out over two years ago... but luckily ...
More >
For some bizarre reason You Are What You Love reminds me of carnivals. I had a dream about a demon carnival the other night and it was rotten. Anyway, i love the lyrics in this song. I cant wait to get Acid Tongue.
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Continuing the trend of smart babes playing blue-eyed soul/Americana music, Jenny Lewis' 'Melt Your Heart' is just one of the great songs on her haunting Rabbit Fur Coat. And here's a full concert at D.C.'s 9:30 Clubhttp://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6254742
More >
| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Run Devil Run |
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| 2 The Big Guns |
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| 3 Rise Up with Fists!! |
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| 4 Happy |
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| 5 The Charging Sky |
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| 6 Melt Your Heart |
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| 7 You Are What You Love |
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| 8 Rabbit Fur Coat |
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| 9 Handle with Care |
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| 10 Born Secular |
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| 11 It Wasn't Me |
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| 12 Happy (Reprise) |
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Click to purchase…
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 "Rabbit Fur Coat")
