Jenny Lewis - The Voyager

After a five year long wait Jenny Lewis, former front woman of Rilo Kiley, has released her follow up to I’m Having Fun Now with The Voyager. It can be a long process for bands and artists to create the perfect album, as Lewis experienced coupled with insomnia whilst creating her record.

The record is full of well-constructed songs which are laden with beautiful vocals that resonate long after the album has finished. Lewis’ voice has glimmering effect on each of the songs and has this ability to make a bad song better. Her real and honest vocals come through every time, even if the song doesn’t  particularly stand out.

‘Head Underwater’ opens the album with Lewis singing about the troubles with love, which is a common feat in the album. The song does a good job of introducing the album, as you get an instant feel for what you’re in for. The single from the album ‘Just one of the guys’ is a stand out song, containing a swagger about it which constantly keeps you hooked.

Unfortunately the album struggles to keep you entertained throughout as some of the songs are perhaps a bit too easy listening and not as punchy as they could be. Granted you have Lewis’ vocals to spice up each song, but you need other prominent elements. With Ryan Adams producing the album you get the feel the record should have this component more frequently, but unfortunately this doesn’t materialise.

However, when everything is in place, the clogs run smoothly and the song is special. ‘Slippery Slopes’ is a perfect example of this with its hazy guitars, showing the versatility of Lewis. Another prime example of Lewis at her best is ‘The Voyager’, with strings behind the angelic vocals, it is difficult to argue against making this song a contender for best on the album.

Overall the record brings nothing new to the table as this sort of work has been done before, however with glimmers of hope scattered around the album I know that Lewis could produce better material more frequently.