Much like her frequent collaborator (and fellow Angeleno) Beck, Jenny Lewis has a chameleon-like quality. Her stint in Rilo Kiley showed off her pop-rock bonafides, but since going solo in 2006, she’s zoomed between country, psychedelia, and pop, holding them all together with her acidic wit and storytelling. Lewis sings about the comic madness bred by L.A. and modern life in general. Last year’ s The Voyager touched on motherhood (or, in Lewis’ case, the lack thereof) and growing old in an industry rigged to be a young person’s game. The irony, of course, is Lewis is writing some of the best material of her career, and it’s resonating on a bigger level with fans of all ages.
Even at a younger age, Lewis’ songwriting was fraught with a tension and wisdom well beyond her years. Back in 2006, she stopped by our Studio 1A with her backing group the Watson Twins. “The Charging Sky” sounds like a sunny, countryfied ditty, but closer listening reveals Lewis’ ambivalence on religion and her parents getting back together. It’s a modern poem set to an old beat, perfectly summing up Lewis’ particular style. Download “The Charging Sky” below and catch Jenny Lewis at KUTX’s 2nd Birthday Party this Saturday night!
–Art Levy
