Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue

Whenever a musician posts their entire new album for streaming on their MySpace profile, it's pretty much a guarantee that someone is going to rip and upload the album for mass consumption. So when Jenny Lewis' Acid Tongue popped up on her MySpace player today, I knew it was only a matter of time before a shitty 96 kbps rip would land on a messageboard. What I didn't plan on was finding a decent 192 kbps rip of the album in addition, which, in my opinion, is a high enough initial quality for me to post. I'll replace my link with a better version when I find it, but even semi low quality Jenny Lewis is better than no Jenny Lewis at all, right? Right. Now, onto the album itself.

Along with TV On The Radio, Acid Tongue was another one of my highly anticipated albums of 2008. The gentle folk and country tone of Lewis' first solo album, 2006's Rabbit Fur Coat, is a hard combo to top, but thankfully Acid Tongue picks up right where Rabbit left off and leaves those tranny-looking Watson Twins outside the studio door this time around. The first two tracks are slow alt-country charmers, but the album really gets started with track 3, "The Next Messiah," a bluesy jam that is over eight minutes long and one of the most ambitious songs Lewis has ever written. Things slow down with the next several tracks, including the fantastic title track which is classic Lewis with smart lyrics and soulful harmonies. Other highlights on Acid Tongue include the swaggering rocker, "See Fernando," Lewis' duet with Elvis Costello, "Carpetbaggers," and the playful tongue-in-cheek tone on "Jack Killed Mom." Overall, Acid Tongue shows a more confident side of Lewis than Rabbit did, one that is secure with her solo project status and ready to show it off to anyone that cares to listen.

DOWNLOAD: Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue [Warner Brothers]
Recommended Tracks: "The Next Messiah," "Acid Tongue," "See Fernando," "Carpetbaggers," "Jack Killed Mom."