I Can't stop listening to this song...

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 for us music is a timeless treasure.

For those of you who have never heard of Jenny Lewis, she gained her claim to fame very early in life by starring in a Jell-o commercial and then later as a grandchild of Lucille Ball in Life with Lucy, a short-lived sitcom. Thank God that she changed career paths and started Rilo Kiley in 1998 with fellow childhood actor Blake Sennett (he played on two classic shows from my childhood, Boy meets World and Salute Your Shorts). They've put out five records over the years, the latest being Under the Blacklight in 2007. Jenny Lewis put out a new album this year entitled Acid Tongue and it's gotten really good reviews (four out of five stars from Rolling Stone, an A- from Entertainment Weekly,#20 out of 25 on the NPR Listeners Pick the Year's Best MusiC). I also found out that she sang back-up vocals for the Postal Service on Give Up. But all that said, the album that I recently fell in love with was her collaboration with the Watson Twins, Rabbit Fur Coat, that was released back in 2006.

"Rise Up with Fists" by Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins

These girls just know how to sing, my word! The album opens up with the three harmonizing beautifully accompanied only momentarily by a crisp acoustic guitar on the "Run Devil Run" setting the tone of the album. "Big Guns" follows with a quick guitar strum reminiscent of M. Ward. The next song tones it down a bit and "Rise Up with Fists" leaves me longing for a partner to two step with. I'm not much for country music, but hearing this song just makes me think of June Carter Cash. I don't know if that would be a good comparison, but that's what comes to my mind. Ha. The album continues steadily and keeps you hooked for the whole ride. The title track is a nice little ballad that leaves any listener who knows a little bit of Lewis' background seeing parallels between the song and her own life. This record reminds me of the old gospel tunes my grandpa makes me listen to whenever we go on long trips. Granted, the lyrics of this album don't really fall under the 'gospel' label regardless of the numerous references to God by Lewis in several of the songs where she pours our a light glaze of honesty for all to enjoy. And enjoy I did, and do, and am right now as I'm writing this.

The song that moved me to write this is a phenomenal collaboration between Jenny Lewis, the Watson Twins, along with Ben Gibbard (of Death Cab for Cutie, Postal Service), Conor Oberst (of Bright Eyes), and M. Ward (which you may know of from She & Him). The song itself has quit the story behind it. "Handle with Care" was written by the Traveling Wilburys. This may not meaning anything to most of you. I was very surprised when I realized the significance of this band. The Traveling Wilburys is a supergroup from 1988-1990 consisting of Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, and Roy Orbison. Yeah...holy balls. I am a huge Beatles and Bob Dylan fan so when I found this out I almost peed my pants. The band was started as a sort of gimmick for a B-side for George Harrison's song "This is Love." They recorded "Handle with Care" but felt it was too good of a song for a gimmick b-side. They released an album under the pseudonym of Wilbury, each making claim that they were the sons of Charles Truscott Wilbury, Sr. making each of them half brothers. Harrison became Nelson Wilbury, Dylan was known as Lucky Wilbury, Tom Petty as Charles T. Wilbury, Jr., Orbison as Lefty Wilbury, and Lynne as Otis Wilbury. They put out an album in 1988 and then another without Orbison in 1990 as Spike (Harrison), Boo (Dylan), Muddy (Petty), and Clayton (Lynne) Wilbury. A box set of these two albums was release in 2007 with a 24 minute DVD documentary of the band.

With that said, Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins' cover of the song brings this old hidden treasure back to life. The feminine addition to this track that the Wilburys' lack shines the track up creating a gem that would make the boys proud. Gibbard sings out a pre-chorus cry of loneliness and love like no one else could from today's music and Bright Eyes makes for a good replacement for Dylan's raspy voice on the original track. This song was NPR's Song of the Day back on March 17th, 2006 and for good reason. I highly recommend that you get a hold of this album or, at the very least, this track.

Quick bibliography (Gotta give credit where credit is due):

Wikipedia: Jenny Lewis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenny_Lewis

Rilo Kiley http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rilo_Kiley

& The Traveling Wilburys http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traveling_Wilburys

NPR's All things Considered: Jenny Lewis: Questioning God on 'Rabbit Fur Coat'- Feb. 22, 2006 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5228500

NPR Music Song of the Day: Rilo Kiley Singer Steps Out with a Wilbury Twist- March 17, 2006 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5285298