But mostly I'm a hypocrite
I sing songs about the deficit
But when I sell out and leave Omaha, what will I get?
A mansion house and a rabbit fur coat.
- from the song "Rabbit Fur Coat" by Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins (pictured above)
As far as I can tell, singer-songwriter Jenny Lewis was born in Las Vegas - that place I called home for a long time. Maybe that’s why I dig her so much. Or maybe it’s because she was a child actor and I subconsciously remember seeing her on Golden Girls when I was 9 years old. Or maybe I’m impressed with her band Rilo Kiley, a soft but bold outfit who cuts records for Saddle Creek - an Indie label just down the street. Or maybe I like her simply because of her featured vocals on one of my all-time favorite albums, the masterful Give Up by The Postal Service. No matter the origin of my admiration, the fact is that her three month old, pseudo-solo album, put out by the other Indie label down the street, Team Love, is like a fantastic collection of short stories set to music. She writes songs like most writers wish they could write prose: it’s lyrical and narrative at the same time. Not to mention, her voice is like a warm bath on a cold night in a room filled with strawberry scented candles. I implore anyone interested in beautiful things to check out what Jenny Lewis does; I'm fairly certain you won't be disappointed.
